Ada Priscilla Nzimiro (30 April 1923 – 22 March 1951) was a trained

medical doctor 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 study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

with family roots in

Oguta Oguta is a town on the east bank of Oguta Lake in Imo State of southeastern Nigeria. Oguta is called "Oguta-Ameshi" or "Ameshi"- by its aborigines. Indigenes - consists of two parts, the old part which holds the 27 villages of Oguta, and the ...

, present-day

Imo State Imo () is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its name from the Imo R ...

. She attended the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

and earned her

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery 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 trad ...

(MB ChB) in 1950. She was the first woman from

Igboland Igbo land ( Standard ) is a cultural and common linguistic region in southeastern Nigeria which is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. Geographically, it is divided into two sections, eastern (the larger of the two) and western. Its popu ...

to graduate as a medical doctor. Nzimiro is said to have died an unnatural death a year after she graduated.

Early life and education

Priscilla Nzimiro was born in

Port Harcourt Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...

, the present-day capital of

Rivers State Rivers is a states of Nigeria, state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed on 27 May 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria, Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include Imo State, Im ...

on 30 April 1923. She was the daughter of Richard Nzimiro and his wife Mary Nwametu Onumonu. Her step-siblings were Richard, Ifediora, and Nnamdi, all male. Her father was a politician who served as the first mayor of Port Harcourt from 1956 until his death in 1959. Her mother, a wealthy merchant, traded

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

and European manufactured goods. Mary met Richard Nzimiro while attending elementary school at St. Joseph's Girls' Convent in Asaba City and married him in 1920 after her graduation. In 1945, Nzimiro enrolled at the

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

for her university education where she studied

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

. She graduated MB ChB in 1950 and became the first woman from

to qualify as a medical doctor.

Death

On 22 March 1951, Nzimiro died in

Glasgow Royal Infirmary The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital. With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around , and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city cen ...

at the age of 27. Her death was a shock to many people including her parents, relatives and well-wishers. Later reports suggested that the cause of her death was unnatural. She was buried in Oguta on 27 April 1951.

Legacy

After Nzimiro's death, the William Wilberforce Academy (WWA), which was the first of two secondary schools her parents established at

in 1945, was renamed Priscilla Memorial Grammar School. This was done in honour of her memory and to record her achievement in the field of medicine. As the first female medical doctor from her region, Nzimiro inspired many young women to pursue medicine as a career.

External links

Gendering the African diaspora: Women, Culture, Historical Change in the Caribbean and Nigerian hinterland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nzimiro, Priscilla Ada 1923 births 1951 deaths Medical doctors from Port Harcourt Alumni of the University of Glasgow Igbo health professionals Nigerian women medical doctors Nigerian expatriates in the United Kingdom