For most of modern history, the human knowledge of science was limited to what was found only in the minds of men: a correlation that I am sure bears no significance to the fact that modern history was also the time for some of the most bizarre medical practices and beliefs. When a man discovered that the cure for female hysteria was vibrators (yes, that is a real thing, please look it up), other men at the time applauded him for what I’m sure was an Einstein-level breakthrough on his end. From bloodletting to heroin cough suppressants to lobotomies, it’s a wonder how humans managed to trudge on this long without the input of women in medicine.
Despite the obstacles, there have been women who defied the odds and made a significant impact on the world of health science. Unfortunately, their contributions are often unnoticed even in the modern day. Decades pass by with close to no recognition for these trailblazers, so here are three women in medicine I want everyone to learn about so that we can all say a big thank you to these icons of the field.
1. Mary Kenner, born in 1912, was a Black-American inventor best known for the Adjustable Sanitary Belt. Coming from a long line of inventors, Kenner was able to pursue her desire to create fixes for the many issues that plagued women at the time. A lifelong advocate of female health equity, she was able to create one of the first modern menstruation products, now held as the precursor to the modern period pad. Though the history of menstruation tools has seen many iterations of a sanitary pad, Kenner was one of the first to patent and manufacture a streamlined modern product for bleeding, which could easily be dispersed among women.
2. Virginia Apgar, best known for the creation of the Apgar Score, revolutionized maternal and prenatal care as we know it today. Through the 1940s and 50s, Apgar worked on research at the Sloan Hospital for Women in an effort to find ways of decreasing infant mortality in the U.S. In 1953, she began implementing her test, now called the Apgar score, as a way of immediately assessing newborns post-natal, noting critical indicators of poor health, which gave doctors an outline on how to go about treating and monitoring infants. Her research is directly linked to the research behind gestational age and premature birth. A lifelong advocate for mother-child health, she was also one of the leading members behind March of Dimes, a nonprofit that (to this day) works to improve the health of mothers and children.
3. Henrietta Lacks is arguably the most important player in modern medicine despite never having received a formal education at all. Her contribution comes as a result of a long history of racialized medical discrimination in America. Growing up on a plantation, Lacks spent most of her life working. In 1951, when she was married and with kids, Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 31 years old. Refused service from city hospitals because she was a Black woman, Lacks unfortunately passed away later that year at Johns Hopkins Baltimore. A doctor at the hospital who treated Lacks later discovered that Lacks had a rare mutation that gave her immortal cells. Without her or her family’s knowledge or consent, that doctor harvested the cells from her corpse and multiplied them to be sold for research. Her cells, known as HeLa cells, have been used in almost every major medical discovery in the past 100 years. With her DNA, scientists have developed vaccines for polio, HPV, HIV, and recently, COVID-19. It was only last year that her family was able to win a lawsuit and receive compensation for the monetization of her cells.
Overall, it is important to recognize the contributions to medicine made by women. Especially today, when many people still label these stories as “propaganda” or meaningless, it is important now more than ever to learn the history of women in STEM. Some may argue that gender doesn’t matter when it comes to medical breakthroughs, but it is these women’s struggle, voices, experiences, and history which shaped their contributions to science. To all the women out there doubting your capabilities in pursuing medicine, there are countless women of the past cheering you on.