In today’s world, the majority of countries guarantee women the right to study and practice in various fields of science. It is hard to imagine that relatively recently women were denied the opportunity to study medicine, because the work of a doctor was reserved for men alone. Since the early period of our civilization, we know of only a few women who had dared to become scientists. Each woman’s story is interwoven with doubts and the pain of rejection, but with an unyielding willpower to do in life what is written in the heart. The editorial team of Women’s Ordination, in addressing the question of women on a broader scale and in anticipation of the 500th anniversary celebrations of the Reformation, will publish a brief glimpse into the lives of remarkable women.
Elena Lucrezia C. Piscopia (Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, 1646 – 1684) was the first woman in the world to earn a doctorate at a university. Elena was born in the Republic of Venice and, thanks to her father’s high position, received an education from the best teachers, mastering Latin, Greek, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Hebrew, as well as the natural sciences, geography, astronomy, and mathematics. Later Elena enrolled in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Padua to obtain a degree in theology at her father’s suggestion, but encountered a prohibition by the priests against her becoming a doctor of theology. Instead, in 1678 she became the first woman in the world to be awarded a university degree in philosophy.
Laura Bassi (Laura Maria Caterina Bassi, 1711 – 1778) was an Italian scientist who earned a doctorate at the University of Bologna in May 1732. She lived in an era when women were forbidden to attend universities, let alone dream that a woman might earn a doctorate. Laura was a phenomenon of her time, educated privately in medicine, biology, and natural history. Sometimes Laura Bassi demonstrated her knowledge in the form of scientific experiments, which led male scientists to admit her to the Academy of Sciences (in 1732). In the same year Laura Bassi became a professor of anatomy, and already the following year a lecturer in philosophy. Such a phenomenon, of course, did not come about without the support of higher-ranking persons. Pope Benedict XIV, who, while still a cardinal, had expressed support for Laura Bassi’s studies and career, was one of her main supporters. Benedict XIV also advocated for less censorship of science on the part of the church and for the inclusion of women in academic life at universities. Laura Bassi became the second woman to earn an academic degree at a European university, as well as the first woman to hold the position of professor of physics at a European university and to be offered an official university teaching post.
Dorothea C. Erxleben (Dorothea Christiane Erxleben, 1715 – 1762) was the first female physician in Germany; she learned her medical skills from her father. Inspired by Laura Bassi’s achievements, Erxleben decided to fight for her right to practice medicine. In 1742 she published a treatise arguing that women should be allowed to attend universities. She was saddened by the fact that women were denied the chance to study. According to Erxleben, if something is denied to a large part of humanity, there can be no talk of any common good. Rather, it is a matter of a tremendous injustice, which in this case is directed against the female sex. In 1754 Dorothea Erxleben earned a doctorate in medicine at the University of Halle.
Aļesja Lavrinoviča
Proofreader Mag. Theol. Milda Klampe