Sofia Okunevska (, ; 12 May 1865 – 24 February 1926) was a Ukrainian physician, educator, feminist, and scholar. She was the first woman in Galicia to receive a gymnasium diploma and obtain a university education, and also the first female
Doctor of Medicine
A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...
and the first female physician in
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
. She pioneered the use of radiation therapy for combating cancer in Galicia and Austria-Hungary. She organized courses for nursing sisters and midwives, co-sponsored the establishment of the first medical trade union, and compiled a dictionary of Ukrainian medical terminology. In addition to practicing medicine in
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
, she also worked in Switzerland, Czechia, and in the Austrian camps during
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 ...
.
Okunevska was a public activist and an important figure of the feminist movement in Galicia and Austria-Hungary. She also ventured into other fields of study, such as literature and various scientific studies.
She spent the last years of her life in Lviv, where she led a small medical practice. Sofia Okunevska died in a hospital of purulent
appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...
and was buried in the
Lychakiv Cemetery
Lychakiv Cemetery (; ), officially State History and Culture Museum-Reserve "Lychakiv Cemetery" (), is a historic cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine.
History
Since its creation in 1787 as Łyczakowski Cemetery, it has been the main necropolis of the c ...
.
Early life and education
Okunevska was born on 12 May 1865 in the village of Dovzhanka, near
Ternopil
Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...
, into the family of Atanas Danilovich Okunevsky and Karolina Luchakovska. Her mother passed away in 1870, and Sofia was thenceforth raised by her aunt, Teofilie Okunevska-Ozarkevich. At that time she met and befriended her cousin, the future writer Nataliya Kobrynska.
In 1884, Okunevska obtained permission to take exams for the gymnasium course, and in 1885, which she brilliantly passed at the
Lviv Academic Gymnasium
Lviv Academic Gymnasium at the National University "Lviv Polytechnic" () - the oldest high school in Lviv, Ukraine, based on the order of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, on October 24, 1784.
Since women in Austria-Hungary did not have the right to study in universities until 1900, in 1887 Okunevska and her cousin Kobrynska enrolled in a university in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. Kobrynska studied economics, while Okunevska attended the medical faculty of the
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...
. In January 1896, she successfully graduated, becoming the first Ukrainian woman of Galicia to obtain a medical university education, and indeed the first female doctor from Austrian lands. Her doctoral dissertation on blood changes under the influence of
anemia
Anemia (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin availabl ...
earned her the
medical degree
A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...
of
Doctor of Medicine
A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...
.
While in
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 ...
, Sofia Okunevska met a student named ''Vatslav Damyan Morachevsky (1865-1950)'', a native of
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, who was known for his pro-Ukrainian sentiments, and in 1890, she married him. In February 1896, Okunevska gave birth to their son, Yuri.
Feminist movement and other activities
Sofia Okunevska was an exceptionally skilled pianist, and when she met
Olha Kobylianska
Olha Yulianivna Kobylianska (; 27 November 1863 Gura Humorului, Bukovina, Austro-Hungary - 21 March 1942 Cernăuți, Cernăuți County, Romania) was a Ukrainian and Soviet modernist writer, nationalist and feminist.
Biography
Origin
Kobylia ...
, the sister of her gymnasium teacher, Julian Kobyliansky, she was captivated. The girls became lifelong friends.Перша лікарка Австро-Угорщини // журнал «Український тиждень» 08.01.2017
Okunevska, along with her friends Nataliya Kobrynska and Olha Kobylianska, actively contributed to the development of the women's movement in Galicia and
Bukovina
Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...
. She was a passionate advocate of long walks in nature, horseback riding, skiing, conquering mountain peaks, and trying to participate in other sports activities that were only actively promoted by men at the time.
In 1887, she debuted in literature with her socio-psychological story "Sand. Sand!" () about urban life. Okunevska authored the scientific investigation "Women's Domestic Slavery in Wedding Songs and Ritual" under her pseudonym of "Yerina", further compiling the works of "Family bondage in songs and wedding ceremonies" () as well as the premier women's
almanac
An almanac (also spelled almanack and almanach) is a regularly published listing of a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasting, weather forecasts, farmers' sowing, planting dates ...
in Galicia, titled "First Wreath" ().
Career and later life
In January 1896, after Okunevska had become a doctor, she returned to Galicia with her husband, Vatslav Morachevsky. They could not immediately find employment in Galicia, as the Austrian government did not recognize foreign diplomas at the time. In 1898, Okunevska gave birth to her daughter, Eva.
In March 1900, the Senate of the
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...
in Krakow, at the time subject to Austrian rule as well, recognized the diplomas, but they couldn't find work still. Morachevsky subsequently went to
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...
, where he opened his private practice, while Okunevska stayed in Lviv with their children. Okunevska started to work at the "People's Clinic" founded by her cousin Dr. Yevhen Ozarkevych in 1903. She chose
gynecology
Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the Female reproductive system, female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obste ...
and became the region's first female gynecologist. At "People's Clinic," she organized courses for nursing sisters and midwives, compiled a Ukrainian medical terminology dictionary, and helped establish the "Medical Commission," the first doctors' union. She was the first oncologist in Galicia and Austria-Hungary to utilize radiation therapy in treating cancer.
Okunevska was a full member of the
Shevchenko Scientific Society
The Shevchenko Scientific Society (), founded in 1873, is a Ukrainian scientific society devoted to the promotion of scholarly research and publication.
Unlike the government-funded National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the society is a pu ...
, actively working in its mathematical-naturalist-medical section. Her scientific research on
osmosis
Osmosis (, ) is the spontaneous net movement or diffusion of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane, selectively-permeable membrane from a region of high water potential (region of lower solute concentration) to a region of ...
, erythrocyte osmotic pressure, was published in the medical collection of the Shevchenko Scientific Society. She studied the state of obstetric care and established a school for obstetrician-gynecologists in Lviv. She was concerned and outraged by the fact that
child mortality
Child mortality is the death of children under the age of five. The child mortality rate (also under-five mortality rate) refers to the probability of dying between birth and exactly five years of age expressed per 1,000 live births.
It encompa ...
in Galicia and the frequency of defects associated with childbirth trauma were the highest in Europe. She was also a member of the Medical Commission, founded in 1897 as the first professional association of Ukrainian doctors. During World War I, she provided medical care to Ukrainians in Austrian camps.
The subsequent conflict between Ukrainians and Poles affected the family greatly. Sofia and Vatslav divorced, and a few months later, in 1919, their daughter Eva committed suicide. Eva was pursuing education in Switzerland and could have become the first Ukrainian female architect. Morachevsky carried the urn of his daughter with him at all times for the rest of his life.
Okunevska moved to Lviv, to the house purchased by
Andrey Sheptytsky
Andrey Sheptytsky, OSBM (; ; 29 July 1865 – 1 November 1944) was the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Metropolitan of Galicia and Archbishop of Lviv from 1901 until his death in 1944. His tenure in office spanned two world wars and six political r ...
for the artist
Oleksa Novakivskyi
Oleksa Kharlampiyovych Novakivskyi (Ukrainian: Оле́кса Харла́мпійович Новакі́вський; 14 March 1872, Obodivka, Trostianets Raion, Vinnytsia Oblast — 29 August 1935, Lviv) whose last name is also written as Nov ...
, and began providing private medical assistance. The house was located opposite of St. George's Cathedral. The only consolation left for Okunevska was her son Yuriy. She lived with him, his wife, and their newborn daughter until 1925, when he moved to his own place.
She spent her final years in
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
, where she maintained her small medical practice. Okunevska remained socially active until her final days. She attended meetings of the women's organization "Ukrainian Society of Women with Higher Education", established in Lviv in 1924 under the leadership of Olena Stepaniv-Dashkevych.
Sofia Okunevska passed away in a hospital from a severe appendicitis on February 24, 1926. She was buried in the
Lychakiv Cemetery
Lychakiv Cemetery (; ), officially State History and Culture Museum-Reserve "Lychakiv Cemetery" (), is a historic cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine.
History
Since its creation in 1787 as Łyczakowski Cemetery, it has been the main necropolis of the c ...
in Lviv. Later, her son Yuri, daughter Eva, husband Vatslav, and granddaughter Sofia were buried alongside her.
Notes
References
Literature
* ''Вознюк В. О.'' Велич і сила Софії Окуневської / В. Вознюк // Вознюк В. О. До джерел культури Буковини. — Чернівці, 2002. — С. 53—65; Буковина. — 2000. — 24 травня (№ 138). — С. 1, 3.
* ''Вознюк В. О.'' Видатна подруга видатної письменниці: �офія Окуневська-Марачевська та Ольга Кобилянська/ Володимир Вознюк // Доба. — 2003. — 28 жовтня (ч. 48). — С. 4.
* ''Врублевська В. В.'' Шарітка з Рунгу: Біографічний роман про Ольгу Кобилянську. — К. : ВЦ «Академія», 2007. — 512 с. — (Автографи часу).
* ''Гусар Ю. С.''. Видатна подруга видатної письменниці: �ро Софію Окуневську-Морачевську/ Юхим Гусар // Буковинське віче.- 2010. — 7 травня (№ 33). — С. 3.
* Лікар Софія Окуневська (1865—1926 рр.) // Кобилянський С. Д. Історія медицини Буковини: цифри і факти / С. Д. Кобилянський, В. П. Пішак, Б. Я. Дробніс. — Чернівці, 1999. — С. 68.
* ''Огуй О. Д.' Окуневська-Морачевська Софія // Енциклопедія історії України : у 10 т. / редкол.: В. А. Смолій (голова) та ін. ; Інститут історії України НАН України. — Київ :
Наукова думка
Naukova Dumka ( — literally "scientific thought") is a publishing house in Kyiv, Ukraine.
It was established by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 1922, largely owing to the efforts of Ahatanhel Krymsky, a prominent Ukrainian lingu ...