Laura Esther Rodríguez Dulanto (18 October 1872 – 6 July 1919) was the first female

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Biography

She was born October 18, 1872, in Supe (then Chancay District, currently department of

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

), as the daughter of Marcelo Rodriguez and Cristina Dulanto. Having finished the basic studies that were available to her in her hometown, she moved with her parents to Lima. She completed her primary education and, after the arduous efforts of her parents appealing to the educational authorities, she was granted the possibility of periodic examinations before a Special Jury appointed by the Ministry of Education for the purpose of advancing her career. She thus became the first woman in Peru to enter university, in May 1892. In 1899 she obtained the degree of

Bachelor of Medicine A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

. She finally vowed as physician and

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

on October 25, 1900, at the Faculty of Medicine of

San Marcos University The National University of San Marcos (, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. In the Americas, it is the first officially established ( privilege by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) and the oldest continu ...

. Although another woman, the Ecuadorian Inés Guideline, also attended the school, there is no proof that she obtained any title. She specialized in the practice of

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

, publishing numerous papers in this area, including papers on ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids. However, she also studied tuberculosis, presenting a paper on the subject at the Sixth Pan American Medical Congress held in 1913. She taught and practiced her trade in the Normal School for Women, the Liceo Fanning, the Convent of the Conception and of the Nazarenes. She also organized a School of Nursing, personally taking charge of dictating the course of Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene. Given the escalation of border conflict between Peru and

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, in 1910 she founded the Patriotic Union of Ladies; she also donated surgical equipment for the implementation of the Military Hospital. She died in Lima after a long illness on July 6, 1919. Her initiative paved the way for other women in her country, and in 1906 Julia Iglesias became the first

Peruvian Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...

pharmaceutical graduate in San Marcos. It would, however, more than a quarter century until another Peruvian woman obtained the medical degree; Maria Mercedes Cisneros did so in 1929.

Tribute

On 18 October 2018, to commemorate what would have been her 146th birthday, Google released a

Google Doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...

celebrating her.

References

Bibliography

* Salaverry Oswaldo García and Gustavo Delgado Matallana (2000). ''Historia de la medicina peruana en el siglo XX'', Volume 1, pages 1278 and 1279. * Salaverry Oswaldo García and Gustavo Delgado Matallana (2000). ''Peruvian History of medicine in the twentieth century''. UNMSM. * Valcárcel Esparza, Carlos Daniel (1981). ''History at the

University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos (, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. In the Americas, it is the first officially established ( privilege by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) and the oldest continu ...

(1551–1980)''. Caracas: National Academy of History. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez Dulanto, Laura Esther Peruvian women physicians 20th-century Peruvian physicians 1872 births 1919 deaths 20th-century Peruvian women 20th-century women physicians