I was taught that Maria Montessori was the first woman to graduate from medical school in Italy. She was the first certified female doctor. I was told recently that she was not the first female medical doctor in Italy. I thought this was a very intriguing comment.
I did a little research and this is what I found in Rita Kramer's book, Maria Montessori, A Birography on page 48 as follows, "...The examiners summoned her back into their prescence and conferred the degree of doctor-laurea-of medicine, making her [Maria Montessori] the first woman to graduate from a medical school in Italy." It goes on further on page 49, "When Maria Montessori was given her diploma as a doctor of medicine and surgery, many of the words printed on the document had be changed in pen and ink from the masculine to the feminine (for example, 'gli esami sostenuti dal Signor_' to 'dalla Signora') The impressively elaborate document had not been designed with the idea in mind that it might be intended for anyone not of the masculine sex."
I am still very interested to find any female doctors who preceded Dr. Maria Montessori.
