Women gatherers in prehistoric times discovered and applied the healing properties of plants. In Egypt, before 3000 BC, there were already female physicians or surgeons, and by 1500 BC, the schools of Sais and Heliopolis were open to women like Sephora and Queen Hatsepshut. In Mesopotamia, healers were very important and in Greek cities there were female doctors and surgeons, but their role was restricted to that of midwives. Popular medicine also stood out: one of the first herbalists was Artemisia II of Caria. In Athens, in the 4th century BC, women were prevented from practicing medicine, accusing them of performing abortions. The figure of Agnodica appeared in this context. In Rome, there were many female physicians who also wrote treatises, such as Elephantis, Lais, Olympias of Thebes, Antiochis and Metrodora. Among the women who wrote about gynaecology and obstetrics, the texts of Cleopatra and Aspasia were the most important until the work of Trotula in the 11th century.
Metrodora
Grecia 2nd century ‖ Unknown 2nd century
Period of activity: From 100 until 200
Geographical classification: Europe > Greece
Socio-cultural movements
Antiquity > Roman culture > Empire
Groups by dedication
Healthcare workers > Physicians
Writers > Essayists
Writers > in > (Ancient) Greek
Popularisers / Cultural promoters > Popularisers of science
Context of feminine creation
Review
Metrodora, a Greek physician based in Rome, possibly in the 2nd century AD, wrote a treatise on the diseases and cures of women. In the chapter dedicated to young women, she described sitergia, a Greek word meaning refusal of food. A 12th century copy of this treatise is preserved in the Laurentian Library in Florence.
Activities
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Spanish
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Cosmética
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Las plantas que utilizaba Metrodora
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Localizamos a las médicas romanas.
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Mater mea
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Medicina para las mujeres.
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Metrodora habló de la sitergia
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Remedios naturales
Catalan
Justifications
Biography
Metrodora was a physician of Greek origin based in Rome in the 2nd century AD. She wrote the treatise On the Diseases and Cures of Women. It contains sixty-three chapters organized in seven sections. It begins with a general statement about the uterus as a source of disease, of Hippocratic influence. It continues with chapters devoted to inflammation and other diseases of the uterus and provides advice on curing infertility and achieving conception. It also deals with diseases of the female breast and cosmetic treatments for women's personal care. Although it includes some recipes to ease childbirth, her work is not a treatise on obstetrics. She demonstrates a direct knowledge of Hippocratic works and, at the same time, makes several personal contributions, such as a classification of different vaginal fluids and numerous therapeutic preparations.
Her work was widely referenced by other medical writers in ancient Greece and Rome and was also translated and published in medieval Europe.
Metrodora is one of 999 women included in the installation The Dinner Party, by artist Judy Chicago.
Works
English
Spanish
Catalan
. Metrodora wrote the treatise On the Diseases and Care of Women. It contains sixty-three chapters organised in seven sections and deals with diseases of the uterus, breast, stomach and kidneys. It also gives advice on how to combat sterility. It is the work of a woman with extensive theoretical knowledge added to the practice of medicine.
Bibliography
-Alic, Margaret (2005). El legado de Hipatia. Madrid: Siglo XXI, p. 47, (retrieved on14/05/2021), <https://lalibretaciencia.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/el-legado-de-hipatia.pdf>
-Garriga, Montse (2014). “Medicina femenina en la Antigüedad. ¿Mito o realidad?”, Arraona Romana, (retrieved on 14/05/2021), <https://arraonaromana.blogspot.com/2014/06/medicina-femenina-en-la-antiguedad-mito.html?view=classic>
-Iglesias Aparicio, Pilar (1990). “Las Mujeres en la Historia del Cuidado de la Salud”, en Mujer y Salud, (retrieved on14/05/2021), <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303944332_Las_Mujeres_en_la_Historia_del_Cuidado_de_la_Salud>
-Salmerón, María Angélica (2014). “Médicas romanas de la antigüedad”, en La ciencia y el hombre, vol. 27, 1, (retrieved on 14/05/2021), <https://www.uv.mx/cienciahombre/revistae/vol27num1/articulos/medicas-romanas-antiguedad.html>
Didactic approach
-CUC: Block Classical roots of today's world. Everyday life; Block Continuity of cultural heritage. Literature, art and science.
-Latin 4th ESO: Legacy and heritage block.
-Latin Baccalaureate: Legacy and heritage block.
-History 1st ESO: Societies and territories block, referring to Rome.