Anastasia Golovina (), (1850–1933), was the first Bulgarian female doctor and psychiatrist.Nazarska, Georgeta: "Bulgarian women medical doctors in the social modernization of the Bulgarian nation state (1878–1944)". In: ''Historical Social Research'' 33 (2008), 2, pp. 232–246. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0168ssoar-191329

Biography

She was born in

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...

, now part of the

Republic of Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised ...

, on October 17, 1850. The sixteenth child in her family, her parents were immigrants from

Kalofer Kalofer ( pronounced:) is a town in central Bulgaria, located on the banks of the Tundzha between the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora to the south. Kalofer is part of Plovdiv Province and the Karlovo municipality. It is best kno ...

, Bulgaria. Her grandfather, Kalcho Minkov, had moved from

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

in the early 19th century. He volunteered during the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829 and served as mayor of

for nine years. The early death of her father, coupled with the societal restrictions of the time that limited women's access to higher education, created significant challenges for Anastasia. Nevertheless, she passed the exams to become a private tutor, earned a diploma from a French college in

, and took a position as a stenographer at the Zemstvo of

(a local administrative body). Despite these achievements, she continued to strive for the opportunity to pursue higher education. In 1871, Anastasia Golovina made the decision to go to

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

, Switzerland, to study medicine. This choice was remarkable, considering the extremely low number of women studying medicine in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

at the time. Later on, due to her progressive views, the Swiss government expelled her, along with other students, to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Nevertheless, her dedication to medicine brought her to the Sorbonne in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where she continued her studies and graduated in 1876.Nazarska, Georgeta: "Bulgarian women medical doctors in the social modernization of the Bulgarian nation state (1878–1944)". In: ''Historical Social Research'' 33 (2008), 2, pp. 232–246. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0168ssoar-191329 She later trained at the Cotten hospital in 1877 and the Pitié hospital in 1878. She defended a doctoral thesis titled ''Histological Study of the Structure of Arterial Walls'', which was highly praised by the committee, chaired by Professor Vulpian, and provoked the admiration of the scientist

Jean Charcot Jean-Martin Charcot (; 29 November 1825 – 16 August 1893) was a French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology. He worked on groundbreaking work about hypnosis and hysteria, in particular with his hysteria patient Louise Augustine G ...

. This thesis, now held in the archives of the Sorbonne in

, remains an important reference.Nazarska, Georgeta: "Bulgarian women medical doctors in the social modernization of the Bulgarian nation state (1878–1944)". In: ''Historical Social Research'' 33 (2008), 2, pp. 232–246. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0168ssoar-191329 Prior to her, only five women had earned medical degrees at the Faculty of Medicine in

. Anastasia Golovina became the first Bulgarian woman to obtain a university degree and the first female doctor in the country. After the brutal suppression of the April 1876 uprising, Bulgarian representatives traveled to various countries to raise awareness of the atrocities committed by the Ottoman authorities in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. In

, Anastasia was deeply moved by the suffering of the Bulgarian people, expressed strong sympathy for their cause, and decided to dedicate her efforts and knowledge to serving the Bulgarian people. In 1878, she returned to

, and in 1879, she moved to

, where she worked as a municipal doctor in

Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo (, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It is the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria. Often referred to as the "''City of the Tsars''", Velik ...

. The newly liberated country, freed from Ottoman rule, was in desperate need of educated individuals. She introduced several medical innovations, including conducting autopsies to determine causes of death. She also authored numerous scientific and popular medical articles, published in both Bulgarian and international journals. She was a founding member of the Physico-Medical Society, the first medical association in

. While in

, she met Alexandre Golovine, a Russian officer and volunteer during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, who later became involved in the newly established Bulgarian administration. They married shortly after. Following Bulgaria's liberation, her husband served as the director of the correspondence office in the political cabinet of Prince Battenberg, where Anastasia Golovina also actively contributed. Subsequently, she worked as a doctor in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, where she was a resident at Alexandrovsk Hospital and also served as a physician at the first girls' high school in the capital. After the overthrow of Prince Alexander Battenberg, the couple left

. Dr. Golovina spent two years at the Faculty of Medicine in

. In 1887, the family returned to

and settled in

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city ** Varna Province ** Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna ** Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis * Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy * Varna (Šabac), a village in Serbia Asia * Var ...

, where Anastasia became the first female doctor at the public hospital. With her expertise, she took charge of the internal department of the State Hospital, helping to assess the advancements in health and hygiene since the country's liberation from Ottoman rule. She also participated in the first scientific initiatives in

and played a key role in establishing the Medical Society, which aimed to improve the professional standards of medical teams and sanitary control. In 1889, she was appointed chief municipal doctor, with a primary focus on maintaining cleanliness in courtyards, streets, and public spaces, ensuring hygiene in fish markets and slaughterhouses, and preventing the spread of epidemics. Later, she became the head of the newly established psychiatric department at the State Hospital. She introduced modern approaches to treating mental health conditions, placing particular emphasis on the therapeutic benefits of the natural environment, especially the sea. This role made her the first Bulgarian psychiatrist and one of the pioneers of

balneotherapy Balneotherapy ( "bath") is a method of treating diseases by bathing, a traditional medicine technique usually practiced at spas. Since ancient times, humans have used hot springs, public baths and thermal medicine for therapeutic effects. While ...

and

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

. Dr. Golovina also worked for a year in

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

as the director of the first-class hospital before returning to

. She was also a founding member of the Bulgarian Red Cross and the Society for the Protection of Children. Alongside her medical work, Anastasia Golovina contributed to the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a doctor in

. She died on March 5, 1933, at the age of 82, in

Varna, Bulgaria Varna (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, third-largest city in Bulgaria and the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in the Northern Bulgaria region. Situated strategically in the Gulf of Varna, t ...

.https://vreme2001.com/2021/04/07/%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BF%D1%8A%D1%80%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81/

References

External links

* https://map.herstoryproject.eu/sofia/ - Interactive map of Sofia, Bulgaria, illustrating the lives of Bulgarian women who have made significant contributions to society, including Anastasia Golovina. {{DEFAULTSORT:Golovina, Anastasia 1850 births 1933 deaths 19th-century Bulgarian physicians 20th-century Bulgarian physicians 20th-century Bulgarian women physicians 19th-century Bulgarian women physicians People from the Russian Empire

Biography

Further reading

References

External links