62 Early Practice of Medicine by Women. [February, 
daughter of a skilful physician, under whose instructions 
she attained to a doctor’s degree ; Mercuriade, author of 
several treatises ; Rebecca Guarna, Adelmota Maltraversa, 
and Marguerite of Naples, who obtained royal authority for 
practising the medical art. — (Beaugrand, in “ DiCt. Encyc. 
Sci. Medicales.”) 
The ancient and honourable universities of Italy were, we 
believe, the first to recognise the capacity of women to give 
instruction of a high character. The University of Bologna, 
founded in 1116, was attended in the year 1250 by ten 
thousand students, engaged in the study of jurisprudence, 
of philosophy, and of medicine. “ Here was first taught 
the anatomy of the human frame, the mysteries of galvanic 
electricity, and later the circulation of the blood.” Here, 
too, were the earliest successful experiments in admitting 
women to occupy professorial chairs, for a long line of 
female professors taught in many departments of learning.* 
As early as the thirteenth century two women were num- 
bered among the eminent professors of the University of 
Bologna — Accorsa Accorso and Bettisia Gozzadini ; the 
former held the chair of Philosophy, the latter that of 
Jurisprudence. In the fourteenth century the lovely and 
learned Novella d’Andrea, daughter of a distinguished 
lawyer, often took her father’s place in the professorial chair, 
and instructed his students in law. Of Novella it is reported 
that she was so beautiful that she lectured behind a curtain, 
“ lest, if her charms were seen, the students should let their 
young eyes wander over her exquisite features and quite for- 
get their jurisprudence.” The rival University of Padua, 
founded in 1228, had also its female representatives. Of 
these the most distinguished was Elena Lucrezia Cornaro. 
This interesting woman was born at Venice, T U ne 5, 1646, 
and at a very early age exhibited an extraordinary capacity 
for acquiring languages. She was familiar with French, 
Spanish, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, besides her native 
Italian, and had some acquaintance with Arabic. While 
endowed by nature with poetical and musical talents, she 
possessed at the same time great perseverance and capacity 
for serious studies, and discoursed eloquently on abstruse 
topics in philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and theology. 
At the age of 32 the University of Padua conferred upon 
her the degree of DoCtor of Philosophy. Cornaro seems 
* According to Madame Villari, whose papers on the “ Learned Women of 
Bologna ” furnish us with many of the succeeding data, there is to the present 
day no law preventing women from graduating at Italian universities or taking 
professorial positions. 
