Trotula of Salerno: The World’s First Gynecologist

It is only fitting that the world’s pioneer in women’s health is also a female who not only understands the female body through extensive study, but is also able to empathize with other women, experiencing the myriad of conditions that their bodies go through herself. Meet Trotula of Salerno

A Woman for Women

Trotula of Salerno, often regarded as the first gynaecologist, was a noted doctor in Italy in the 1200’s. She was the head of medicine at the School of Salerno where she conducted studies and wrote numerous texts on healthcare that would shape medicine as we know it today. Her findings, particularly in women’s health, allowed her to support patients through their reproductive cycles, even pioneering the use of painkillers to ease childbirth.

Women, during her time, were accepted as physicians and were able to work freely with men in the field of medicine. In spite of this, the science of healthcare still had skewed beliefs favouring men. One example of this belief is that women were the only ones responsible for infertility, a belief that Trotula found to be wrong and was one of the first people to suggest that men can also be sterile.