Virdimura of Sicily (fl. 1376)
Virdimura of Sicily (fl. 1376)
Jewish physician of Sicily . Flourished in 1376 in Sicily; married Pasquale of Catania (a doctor).
Virdimura was a Jewish woman who worked as a physician in Sicily. Her husband and tutor was another doctor, Pasquale of Catania, a university-trained surgeon who taught his highly intelligent wife the art of surgery and herbal medicine. At the time, most women were forbidden to practice medicine, although in Italy the rules were more lax than in other regions. Virdimura, eager to build a lawful practice and win recognition for her healing abilities, petitioned the court for the right to treat patients as a professional.
As part of the hearing process, she brought in patients who attested to her great knowledge and skill, as well as other physicians who verified her learning and supported her petition. Virdimura also had to take several exams to determine the extent of her knowledge, which she passed easily. Thus in 1376, she was fortunate enough to have the Sicilian royal court grant her a license to practice medicine throughout the state. She chose not to work among the wealthy nobles who could afford to pay her well, but instead healed the poor of Sicily, often for free or for a very reduced fee.
sources:
Echols, Anne, and Marty Williams. An Annotated Index of Medieval Women. NY: Markus Wiener, 1992.
Laura York , M.A. in History, University of California, Riverside, California