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Emma Rosina Heikel (17 March 1842 – 13 December 1929) was a Finnish medical doctor and feminist. In 1878, she became the first female physician in Finland, and specialised in
Emma Rosina Heikel (17 March 1842 – 13 December 1929) was a Finnish medical doctor and feminist. In 1878, she became the first female physician in Finland, and specialised in 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 ...
and paediatrics
Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...
.
Early life and education
Heikel was born inKaskinen
Kaskinen (; ) is a town and island in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Kaskinen is situated in Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Kaskinen approximately , while the sub-region has a population of approxim ...
on 17 March 1842 to Carl Johan Heikel and Kristina Elisabet Dobbin. Her father was the mayor of Oulu
Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...
and Kokkola
Kokkola (; , ) is a town in Finland and the regional capital of Central Ostrobothnia. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Kokkola is approximately , while the Kokkola sub-region, sub-region h ...
, and both her brothers Alfred and Emil studied medicine. She attended school in Vaasa
Vaasa (; , ), formerly (1855-1917) known as Nikolaistad (; ),Jakobstad
Jakobstad (; , ) is a town in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Jakobstad is situated in Ostrobothnia (administrative region), Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Jakobstad is approximately , while the Jako ...
, Porvoo
Porvoo (; ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located on the south coast of the country, on the Gulf of Finland. Porvoo lies in the eastern part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Porvoo is approximately , while the Porvoo sub-region, sub-re ...
and Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
, and was a good student. From a young age she believed that access to education should be equal for all regardless of gender and had decided by 1862 to become a doctor like her brothers. There were no Finnish universities at the time, however, that would allow women to study medicine, and so she travelled to Sweden to train in 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 ...
at the Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
Gymnastics Institute. She finished the course in 1866 and returned to Helsinki, where she completed a course in midwifery
Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...
a year later. She visited Stockholm again in 1869 to receive further tuition in anatomy and physiology.
In 1870, Heikel was allowed to attend physiology lectures at the University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki (, ; UH) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Åbo under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Alexander ...
, and in 1871 she was given special permission to study medicine at the university. She received her medical degree in 1878, becoming the first woman physician in Finland, as well as the first in the Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...
.
Career
Medicine
Heikel was granted a limited license to practice, which allowed her to treat only women and children. During 1878, she practiced in Stockholm andCopenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, and moved to Vaasa in 1879 to specialise in women's and children's health. She could not register as a member of the Finnish Medical Society until 1884. In 1883 the post of city gynaecologist
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 ...
in Helsinki was created for her; it was changed to city gynaecologist and paediatrician
Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their yout ...
in 1889. Heikel stayed in the role until 1901 and maintained a private Helsinki practice until 1906.
Activism
Outside of medical practice, Heikel was an active proponent of the women's rights movement and the feminist association Naisasialiitto Unioni. An advocate of women's education, she helped to found Konkordia-liitto, an organisation for female academics. In 1888, Heikel spoke at a meeting of the Finnish Medical Society against legalised prostitution, and in 1892 she addressed the Naisasialiitto Unioni to promote equality in educational opportunities for girls and boys. She managed a children's workhouse and was an advocate for children's health in rural Finland.Death
Heikel died on 13 December 1929 in Helsinki, with no surviving family. She is buried in theHietaniemi Cemetery
The Hietaniemi cemetery (, ) is located mainly in the Lapinlahti quarter and partly in the Etu-Töölö district of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is the location for Finnish state funeral services and is owned by the Evangelical Luthe ...
in Helsinki.
References
Further reading
* Heikel, 2. Emma Rosina i Nordisk familjebok (andra upplagan, 1909) * Westermarck, Helena: Finlands första kvinnliga läkare Rosina Heikel. Helsinki 1930. {{DEFAULTSORT:Heikel, Rosina 1842 births 1929 deaths 19th-century Finnish physicians Physicians from the Russian Empire Finnish gynaecologists Finnish women's rights activists Finnish women physicians People from Kaskinen Physicians from Helsinki University of Helsinki alumni Burials at Hietaniemi Cemetery Finnish midwives Finnish pediatricians 19th-century women physicians 20th-century Finnish physicians 20th-century women physicians