The evidence for women healers may not be present in many of our history books, but it is there however even in the words we use - 'hygiene' from Hygeia the goddess of good health - one of the daughters of the Earth mother Rhea - and 'Panacea' meaning 'all healing', her twin sister. Both are still mentioned in the Hippocratic Oath. The Sanskrit word medha - feminine wisdom - is the root of many names for goddesses associated with healing  such as  Medea and Medusa as well as for the word 'medicine' itself.

Archaeology has revealed the high levels of civilisation among the peoples of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece as far back as the second millennium BC and finds have shown that women were respected practitioners of medicine in those days. In the grave of Queen Shubad of Ur (3500 BC) prescriptions for easing pain were found along with surgical instruments of flint and bronze. Several Egyptian queens were renowned for healing: from Queen Mentuhutep (2300BC) to Queen Hatshepsut in 1500BC. 

Queen Mentuhetep was a queen of the XI th dynasty at Thebes and among her grave goods was a large cedar chest containing alabaster jars of ointments; jars for tinctures; measuring spoons and dried herbs.

In Ancient Greece, many women were well known as herbalists and healers and this is reflected in literature of that era such as the Iliad and the Odyssey - Agamede cared for the wounded and dying of both Greeks and Trojans in the Trojan war and Polydamna (her name means 'one who subdues disease' ) gave the herb drink 'nepenthe' to Helen of Troy to poison her enemies and cure her friends.

In historical record, Artemisia of Caria who lived around the 5thc BC was a medical student and botanist who has given her name to the artemisia  genus of plants and she was credited with knowing every herb used in medicine. However, as a more patriarchal system of government and politics developed in Greece, women were more and more sidelined in every aspect of public life, including medicine.  Agnodice, an Athenian woman who wanted to become a doctor, in the 4thc BC was only able to do so by disguising herself as a man. On becoming qualified she rapidly established a large clientele of women in her home city but was denounced by jealous colleagues who discovered her true identity. Agnodice faced the death penalty for her deception but was saved by her female patients who threatened en masse to commit suicide if she were not allowed  to treat them! The law was then changed to allow 'gentlewomen' to become doctors as long as they only treated women and children.

Aspasia is another woman doctor of renown from the 1st c AD, Greco-Roman by parentage, she wrote a classic text on gynaecology which remained the standard work on the subject for nearly one thousand years! She recommended special diets and exercise for pregnant women, and the use of tampons of herbal preparations for contraception. She also devised surgical procedures to treat tumours, peritonitis, fibroids and varicose veins.

These are only a few of the many women healers and doctors of ancient history and others will feature on this page in future months - bookmark this page now if you would like to keep informed on these remarkable women!