02-28-2007, 09:08 PM
Andrea Rottloff mentions in her book "Lebenbilder römischer Frauen" the following about female physicians:
Generally the term "medicus" was not as strictly reglemented as it is nowadays the "physician" therefore there could have been female quack doctors as well. All female doctors were free born women and not slaves.
An inscription from Capua states a student of medicine named Scantia Redempta who died at the age of 22. The inscription says "incomparabilissima femina, antistes disciplinae in medicina"
It seems like that female doctors were not restricted to gynecology only, an inscription from Mérida, Spain mentions a Iulia Saturnina as medica optima which sounds like that she knew more than just midwifery.
A gravestone from Metz, France bears the inscription "...ini*fil*medica" meaning "daughter of -inus, physician".
Rottloff refers to Ernst Künzl who believes that a certain grave in Spain is that of a female surgeon due to the gravegoods of medical instruments, but also of typical female ones like fibula, armring and glas beads.
In Cologne is a grave from 3rd century which contained also medical instruments but also hairpins, and silver plates with magical texts.
Sometimes even the biography of a female physician is known, e.g. that of Aemilia Hilaria, the aunts of the latter author of the Mosella, Ausonius. She used to hate her female body an acted in curing the sick like a man.
Generally the term "medicus" was not as strictly reglemented as it is nowadays the "physician" therefore there could have been female quack doctors as well. All female doctors were free born women and not slaves.
An inscription from Capua states a student of medicine named Scantia Redempta who died at the age of 22. The inscription says "incomparabilissima femina, antistes disciplinae in medicina"
It seems like that female doctors were not restricted to gynecology only, an inscription from Mérida, Spain mentions a Iulia Saturnina as medica optima which sounds like that she knew more than just midwifery.
A gravestone from Metz, France bears the inscription "...ini*fil*medica" meaning "daughter of -inus, physician".
Rottloff refers to Ernst Künzl who believes that a certain grave in Spain is that of a female surgeon due to the gravegoods of medical instruments, but also of typical female ones like fibula, armring and glas beads.
In Cologne is a grave from 3rd century which contained also medical instruments but also hairpins, and silver plates with magical texts.
Sometimes even the biography of a female physician is known, e.g. that of Aemilia Hilaria, the aunts of the latter author of the Mosella, Ausonius. She used to hate her female body an acted in curing the sick like a man.
