Warning: This entry discusses some more graphic aspects of the medical practice. So if that kind've thing makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip ahead.
Metrodora (200-400 AD) was a Greek physician and author of the oldest medical text known to be written by a woman, On the Diseases of & Cures of Women. Her medical treatise covers various topics including, gynaecology but not obstetrics. She also mentions surgery which wasn't commonly used in Greece or Rome at the time. Which contrasts her with another female physician named, Aspasia, who covered gynaecologic topics like abortion and whose work was also heavily referenced by other writers. Instead, Metrodora wrote about pathology, which was the same approach used by male physicians of the time. However, she differed from other male writers because she referenced and analyzed Hippocrates work directly, rather than looking at secondary sources, that were published later on. On the Diseases & Cures of Women, was widely referenced by other medical writers in Greece and Rome & was eventually translated and utilized in medieval Europe. Nothing is known about Metrodora apart from her name but there were a number of female physicians in the Greco-Roman world and she is often regarded as the first female medical writer.
Her book, On the Diseases & Cures of Women, was published in two volumes, containing a total of 63 chapters. Metrodora's approach was heavily influenced by the work of Hippocrates and the Hippocratic Corpus, as were most physicians of the time. She had decisive opinions on topics like symptomology and etiology, which were controversial at the time. Metrodora was evidently, highly experienced with clinical practice, using either hands or a speculum. She contributed to medical science by classifying vaginal discharges and theorizing parasitic infections that caused these discharges.
Although female physician were active in the fields of gynaecology and obstetrics, they rarely practiced in other areas. They were areas deemed appropriate for women who were able to get the medical qualifications, due to the ancient custom of midwifery and is association with women being trained by women.
The first Latin translations of Metrodora's work surfaced in the 3rd & 5th centuries and the oldest copy of her work is in Florence, Italy. There are medicinal compounds in her treatise that aren't found anywhere else and it is believed her book Of the Diseases & Cures of Women is the first known alphabetized medical encyclopedia.
Side notes:
Obstetrics- area of medicine focused on pregnancy, childbirth & the postpartum period (after birth).
Symptomology-the study of symptoms that indicate a particular medical condition.
Etiology- the study of the cause or causes of a medical condition.
Pathology- a more casual study of diseases
Speculum- Latin for "mirror", it was a medical too, which was used to enter body orifices.
https://www.revolvy.com/page/Metrodora
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Women in Science, Medicine and Mathematics
Non-FictionWomen who have contributed to the fields of science, medicine and math. They paved the way for future generations, made groundbreaking discoveries, many times while being outshone or downtrodden by their male counterparts.
