As she grew up, Agnodice was appalled by the high mortality rate of infants and mothers during childbirth, a traumatizing factor of female life that inspired Agnodice to study medicine—or at least to desire it. According to legend, Agnodice was a noblewoman born with a passion for medicine. Athens stormed into the court and defended Agnodice, stating: “You are not husbands, but enemies, because you condemn her who discovered safety [or health] for us.”, The story ends with the law being amended to ensure that women could practise medicine in the future. Once upon a time in Athens, there lived a young woman named Agnodice. Her drive to become a doctor stemmed from the growing number of women who suffered from painful or fatal childbirth. This hand-drawn pastel animation introduces the story of Agnodice, a legendary figure credited as the first female midwife or physician in ancient Athens. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. male doctors tended to avoid physically examining a woman’s body. 300 BC) is credited with practicing medicine in ancient Greece, at a time when women were legally barred from that occupation. They is not going to be towards having a companion that works, as nowadays, two salaries are better than one, however additionally they respect a girl who takes care of her home and kids. Watch Queue Queue Hyginus is the only source for the story of Agnodice, but whether or not she was an actual historical figure, her story inspired midwives from the late seventeenth century onward who saw in it a justification for female practitioners grounded in antiquity. Agnodice, determined to become a physician and help the women of Athens, cut her hair and donned the clothes of a man to pursue medical training. It’s a great story. Fab. Unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman’s place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children. These are the women of Ancient Greece that will forever be remembered for their intelligence, bravery and strength in an age that was dominated by men. No. Thirdly, as Prof. Helen King points out, the story has many parallels with ancient novels – it’s simply too far-fetched to reflect reality. Cross-dressing, women in science, creativity Agnodice was an Athenian woman (that is, not only an inhabitant of Athens, but also of a citizen family) of the 4th century bce. ), Agnodice was an Athenian virgin who disguised herself as a man to learn midwifery. The only way she could achieve her dream was to cut her hair and wear men's clothing. Agnodice Of Athens. Presumably this was because the women were more comfortable discussing their health, particularly their reproductive health (see 1. in A few things to note below), with another woman. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. 32, pp. Word spread amongst Athenian women that Agnodice was in fact a woman in disguise, and she soon proved to be more popular amongst female patients than other (male) doctors. Secondly, the only place we find reference to Agnodice is in Hyginus’s Fabulae, a collection of myths and biographies of mythical or pseudo-historical figures. ‘[The story of Agondice]’s main use is within the history of medicine and, from the seventeenth century to the present day, when midwives have defended themselves against a male-dominated medical profession seeking to medicalise childbirth, Agnodike has been invoked as fact, and hence as a valuable past precedent.’. Women in the ancient Greek world had few rights in comparison to male citizens. Some question the likelihood that she was an historical figure. Apparently very skilled, her popularity incited the jealousy of male physicians, who accused her of corruption and brought her to court. Agnodice then used an alleged friend's sickness to account for her future leave to pursue medical training. 300 BC) is credited with practicing medicine in ancient Greece, at a time when women were legally barred from that occupation. However, the tale of Agnodice has been used by women to support their role in medicine since the 17th century, and this is perhaps more important than whether Agnodice existed or not. 300 BC) is credited with practicing medicine in ancient Greece, at a time when women were legally barred from that occupation. In fact, women (primarily enslaved women) were often trained as midwives and physicians as male doctors tended to avoid physically examining a woman’s body. 2018. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. This entry is only available in the Rejected Princesses book! The Cross-Dressing, Flashing Physician. However, it was illegal at the time for women to become doctors, so Agnodice disguised herself as a man in order to study medicine. Agnodice wanted to be a doctor but the law forbade women and enslaved people from practising medicine. Wonders and Marvels [Online]. Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society. Agnodice was a wealthy woman of Athens. Keaveney, A. Bartley, A. Agnodice (born ca. Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052, Elizabeth A.Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art. 200 Eastern Parkway Then a law was passed allowing freeborn female citizens to practice medicine. According, however, to Hyginus (Hyg. According to legend, Agnodice, also called Agnodike, was born into a wealthy Athenian family around the fourth century B.C.E. Info on Agnodice of Athens. literally) as a woman, the doctors continued to be outraged, but the women of Despite Agnodice having revealed herself (again, At this point, their wives became involved. Change ), Queen Arsinoë IV of Egypt (c. 69 – 41 BCE), Queen Berenice IV of Egypt (77 BCE – 55 BCE), Hypatia of Alexandria, c.350-370 – 415 CE, Locusta, Roman Assassin (Unknown – 69 CE), Georgie: Vindolanda’s Murder Mystery (c. mid 3rd CE), ‘Clytemnestra’: The Murdering Stepmother of Athens, c. 420 BCE, Amazon and Achillia: Female Gladiators in the Roman Empire. Little is known about her life, other than information supplied … Her story is told by the Roman author Gaius Julius Hyginus in his Fabulae. Firstly, an Athenian law which banned women and enslaved people from practising medicine did not exist in any period that we know of. The woman was distrustful of the male doctor, but Agnodice revealed herself (quite literally) to the patient and, now satisfied that Agnodice was a woman, a bond of trust was established. King, H. 1986. Hyginus, Fabula 274.10-13: The Story of Agnodice. Alyahya G, Almohanna H, Alyahya A, Aldosari M, Mathkour L, Aldhibaib A, Al-Namshan Y, Al-Mously N. Does physicians’ gender have any influence on patients’ choice of their treating physicians?. Some question the likelihood that she was an historical figure. Hyginius is a notoriously difficult figure to pin down, we do not know when he lived, and the Fabulae exists in Greek, although it was almost certainly translated from Latin (which, sadly, we do not have a copy of). Agnodice or Agnodike (Ancient Greek: Ἀγνοδίκη, Greek pronunciation: [aŋnodíkɛː] c. 4th century BCE) is a legendary figure credited as the first female midwife or physician in ancient Athens. Even today patients interact differently with male and female doctors, If you’re interested in reading further, see Alyahya, et al. According to the Latin scholar Hyginus (first century C.E. According to legend, Agnodice wanted to learn medicine. Agnodice simply undressed to show that she was a woman and was incapable of impregnating women with illegitimate children; a huge concern for men of the time. ), Agnodice was an Athenian virgin who disguised herself as a man to learn midwifery. Little is known about her life, other than information supplied … Agnodike and the Profession of Medicine. Ἀγνοδίκη) was the earliest historical, and likely apocryphal, midwife mentioned among the ancient Greeks. Agnodice in her disguise as a male physician, imagined here not as lifting her tunic to reveal her true sex, but as opening her outer garment to show that she has breasts. According to Hyginus, they argued that "you men are not spouses but enemies, since you're condemning her who discovered health for us." Agnodice of Athens. 2019 in the source section. Born in Miletus in Asia Minor, Aspasia (470-410 BCE) was an important figure in … Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The other doctors soon became suspicious because Agnodice, who remained in disguise, was the only person Athenian women would allow to treat them. do you want? Agnodice (born ca. Agnodice (born ca. Unafraid of the law, Agnodice decided to disguise herself as a man, cutting off her hair and dressing in clothing usually worn by men. J Nat Sci Med 2019;2:29-34. Some question the likelihood that she was an historical figure. Agnodice’s studies with a doctor called Herophilus went well, and she was soon seeing patients of her own, all the while remaining in disguise. YENTL PERSUASION A mere century after Hippocrates, his followers had gradually hijacked the practice of delivering babies from fuming midwives despite the desires of their patients. Agnodice of Athens No woman’s life and work was considered more scandalous and shocking at the time Agnodice (4th century BC), who was the first female doctor in ancient Athens and whose challenge to the male-dominated profession changed … ( Log Out /  53-77. ( Log Out /  ( Log Out /  Agnodice or Agnodike is a legendary figure credited as the first female midwife or physician in ancient Athens. Farnham: Ashgate. Women in medicine, particularly those specialising in women’s reproductive health and midwifery were able to invoke Agnodice as ‘the first midwife’ and could therefore trace the precedent of women in medicine back to ancient times. Born: 4th Century BCE; Athens, Greece; Nationality: Greek: Occupation: Physician: Era: Classical Greece: She graduated and went back to Athens to make her way in the world of obstetrics. Agnodice is not generally believed to be a historical figure, but her story has been frequently deployed as a precedent for women practising midwifery or medicine, or as an argument against either of these. Agnodice wanted to be a doctor but the law forbade women and enslaved people from practising medicine. Agnodice of Athens left to study gynecology in Egypt (specifically Alexandria), where it was perfectly legal for a woman to be involved in medical affairs, and was even quite frequent and almost important. She challenged the male-dominated profession and changed the laws regarding women practicing medicine. The One-Sex Body on Trial: The Classical and Early Modern Evidence. When Agnodice was brought to trial, she was condemned by the leading men of Athens. By cutting her hair and wearing men's clothing, she was able to become a student of the famous Alexandrian physician, Herophilus. And they all lived happily ever after…. 300 BC) is credited with practicing medicine in ancient Greece, at a time when women were legally barred from that occupation. Agno'dice （ Ἀγνοδίκη), the name of the earliest midwife mentioned among the Greeks.She was a native of Athens, where it was forbidden by law for a woman or a slave to study medicine. and innovation, women defending women, an underdog overcoming adversity – what more Facing young Agnodice in Ancient Greece was the problem that women had been completely blocked from studying, let alone practicing, medicine, which included the somewhat mysterious witchery of midwifery. Vol. Unafraid of the law, Agnodice decided to disguise herself as a man, cutting off her hair and dressing in clothing usually worn by men. This led the medical community to suspect Agnodice … She is the namesake of a. Aspasia of Miletus. This story about Phryne is most likely apocryphal, but the similarities between it and the legend of Agnodice cannot be overlooked; both stories involve a woman with a reputation for lack of chastity being brought to trial in Athens and, in both stories, the woman is forced to reveal her body to the judges in order to get them to acquit her. The law against women practicing midwifery in Athens wasn't cutting it for Agnodice. This story… Little is known about her life, other than information supplied by Hyginus, a first century Latin author. In the ancient world women’s bodies were policed to ensure that they were not given the opportunity to engage in pre- or extra- marital affairs, which would compromise the legitimate family line. At trial, Agnodice revealed her sex and, supported by leading women of the city, was acquitted. 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