Agnodice

The First Known Female Midwife

Ancient Greece in the 4th Century BCE was pretty tough for women. Women weren’t allowed to practice Midwifery legally, and it was inappropriate for male Doctors to see female patients, so women and babies are dying in childbirth in record numbers and Agnodice is SICK OF IT!

She bucks the law, deceives the teachers at med school by dressing as a man, and she becomes a gynecologist. When her practice begins to blossom, her male competition accuse her of committing the worst crime a Doctor at the time could commit: Seducing her female patients.

How does Agnodice get out of this dangerous pickle she found herself in? You’ll have to listen to find out!