Adelaida Lukanina facts for kids

Adelaida N. Lukanina, born Rykacheva and later known as Paevskaia, was an important Russian doctor and chemist. She was known for her scientific research and for being one of the first women doctors in the United States. She lived from 1843 to 1908.

Her Life Story

Adelaida Lukanina was born in Russia, in a countryside area called Novgorod Oblast. This place later inspired her writing. She first planned to become a teacher. But then, she decided to study chemistry because she wanted to become a doctor. We don't know much about her very early life.

Early Discoveries in Chemistry

While studying chemistry, Adelaida worked with Aleksandr Borodin. He was a famous Russian composer and also a chemist. Together, they made an important discovery. They found that albumen, which is like egg white, could be changed to create urea. Urea is a chemical found in living things. She also corrected a mistake made by another scientist, Heinrich Limpricht, about how a chemical called succinyl chloride reacted with benzoin. During this time, she married a shopkeeper named Iulii Lukanin.

Becoming a Doctor and Activist

After her chemistry work, Lukanina became involved in politics in Russia. She was arrested for her beliefs. Then, she moved to the Grand Duchy of Finland, which was part of the Russian Empire back then. In 1870, she attended the University of Helsinki, which was the first year it allowed both men and women to study together.

In 1872, she moved to Zurich, Switzerland, to study medicine at the University of Zurich. While in Switzerland, she continued her political activities. The ruler of Russia, Tsar Aleksandr II, ordered women to leave Switzerland or they would not be allowed to work as doctors in Russia. Adelaida chose to stay in Switzerland, even if it meant giving up a career in Russia. In 1875, she moved to the United States to finish her medical degree. She only needed to write her final paper, called a dissertation.

Working as a Doctor and Writer

Adelaida Lukanina earned her medical degree (M.D.) in 1876 from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. She then worked at the New England Hospital for Women and Children. She was known for her medical articles and for writing stories that were partly about her own life.

After she graduated, she went back to Europe. She published a series of stories about her experiences in the United States in a magazine in Saint Petersburg, Russia. From 1877 to 1885, she lived in Paris, France. She was waiting for the Russian government to clear her name so she could return home. While in Paris, she kept writing her stories and worked as a translator to earn money. Some of her famous works from this time include "Liubushka" (1878), "Olden-day Matters" (published in parts from 1880 to 1887), and "Ward #103" (1879). "Liubushka" and "Olden-day Matters" were stories about rural life in Novgorod, based on her own experiences. "Ward #103" was about her time as a doctor in Zurich.

Return to Russia and Later Life

Lukanina returned to the Russian Empire in 1885. However, she was not allowed to practice medicine until 1892. This was when a serious illness called cholera spread across western Russia. Women doctors were urgently needed to help people in the villages. She wrote about her experiences helping sick peasants in "Journey to the Cholera Epidemic" (1902). In this writing, she also talked about how the peasants lived.

In the 1890s, Lukanina married again and became Adelaida Paevskaia. But this marriage ended around 1894 or 1895. After that, she became a shopkeeper as well as a doctor. She hired poor women whom she also treated, taught, and gave a place to live. Adelaida Lukanina died in 1908 after being sick for a long time.