WOMEN IN THE BACKROUND OF HISTORY
TROTULA OF SALERNO PIONEER OF GYNECOLOGY IN THE MIDDLE AGES
Some people doubt her existence or believe she may have been a man, but Trotula (1110-1160), recognized as the first gynecologist in history, was a real woman who lived in Salerno, where the most famous university in the known world at the time was located. There she taught a subject that was off-limits to physicians at the time: the care of women during childbirth. From his work emerged two books that left a significant mark on science. De passionibus mulierum ante in et post partum_, a text ignored until the beginning of the 16th century, when the printing press facilitated its dissemination and allowed knowledge of a new medical branch, gynecology and obstetrics, to spread. She also wrote a treatise on female cosmetics, ‘_De ornatu mulierum_’, which contains recommendations for enhancing beauty and maintaining hygiene.
As a woman ahead of her time she took advantage of the opportunities offered by the progress characteristic of Salerno at that time. Thanks to the Salerno Medical School, she was able to train as a physician and to expand her knowledge through research and clinical practice.
https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/trotula-salerno-pionera-ginecologia-edad-media_16686