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List of female scientists before the 20th century facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
See also: List of female scientists in the 20th century and List of 21st-century women scientists

This is a historical list, intended to deal with the time period where it is believed that women working in science were rare. For this reason, this list ends with the 20th century.

Antiquity

Hypatia, by Julia Margaret Cameron
Hypatia by Julia Cameron
  • Aemilia (c. 300 CE–363 CE), Gallo-Roman physician
  • Aglaonike (2nd century BCE), woman astronomer in Ancient Greece
  • Agnodike (4th century BCE), first woman physician to practice legally in Athens
  • Andromache (mid-6th century), Egyptian physician
  • Arete of Cyrene (5th–4th centuries BCE), Greek natural and moral philosopher
  • Artemisia of Caria (c. 300 BCE), botanist
  • Aspasia the Physician (fl. 1st century CE), Greek physician
  • Aurelia Alexandria Zosime, Ancient Roman physician
  • Chun Yuyan (1st century BCE), Chinese obstetrician and gynecologist
  • Cleopatra the Alchemist (c. 3rd century CE), wrote the alchemical book, Chrysopoeia, or "gold-making"
  • Damo (6th century BCE), Greek natural philosopher
  • Diotima of Mantinea (4th century BCE), philosopher and scientist, ancient Greece
  • Eccello of Lucania (5th or 4th century BCE), Greek/Italian mathematician and natural philosopher
  • Echecratia the Philiasian (5th century BCE), Greek/Italian mathematician and natural philosopher
  • Elephantis (1st century BCE), Greek physician
  • Enheduanna (c. 2285–2250 BCE), Sumerian/Akkadian astronomer and poet
  • Fabiola (died 399 CE), Roman physician
  • Fang (first century BCE), Chinese chemist
  • Favilla (2nd century), Roman physician
  • Gargi Vachaknavi (7th century BCE), Indian philosopher
  • Gu Bao (4th century), Chinese physician
  • Hypatia (370–415 CE), mathematician and astronomer, Egypt
  • Laïs (c. 1st/2nd century BCE), midwife
  • Lais of Corinth, Ancient Greek physician
  • Leoparda (4th century CE), gynecologist
  • Macrina (4th century CE), Greek physician and nun
  • Marcella (4th century CE), Roman healer
  • Mary the Jewess (1st or 2nd century CE), alchemist
  • Melissa (3rd century BCE), Greek philosopher
  • Metrodora (c. 200–400 CE), Greek physician and author
  • Minucia Asste, Ancient Roman physician
  • Myia (5th century BCE), Greek philosopher
  • Nicerata (c. 5th century), physician and healer
  • Occello of Lucania (4th or 5th century BCE), Greek natural philosopher and mathematician
  • Olympias of Thebes (1st century BCE), Greek midwife
  • Origenia (2nd century CE), Greek healer
  • Pao Ku Ko (3rd century CE), Chinese chemist
  • Paphnutia the Virgin (c. 300), Egyptian alchemist
  • Paula (347–404 CE), Roman healer
  • Perictione (5th century BCE), Greek philosopher, mother of Plato
  • Panthea, Ancient Greek physician, wife and colleague of Glycon
  • Philinna of Thessaly, Ancient Greek physician
  • Peseshet, Egyptian physician (Fourth Dynasty)
  • Pulcheria (5th century CE), healer
  • Pythias of Assos (4th century BCE), marine zoologist
  • Restituta (1st century), Ancient Roman physician
  • Salpe (1st century BCE), Greek midwife
  • Sotira (1st century BCE), Greek physician
  • Tapputi-Belatekallim (First mentioned in a clay tablet dating to 2000 BCE), Babylonian perfumer, the first person in history recorded as using a chemical process
  • Terentia Prima, Ancient Roman physician
  • Theano (6th century BCE), philosopher, mathematician and physician
  • Thelka, Iranian
  • Theosebeia (4th century CE), healer
  • Yi Jia (2nd century BCE), Chinese physician

Middle Ages

Herrad von landsberg
Herrad of Landsbert
  • Abella (14th century), Italian physician
  • Adelle of the Saracens (12th century), Italian physician
  • Adelmota of Carrara (14th century), Italian physician
  • Rufaida Al-Aslamia (7th century), Muslim nurse
  • Maesta Antonia (1386–1408), Florentine physician
  • Ameline la Miresse (fl. 1313–1325), French physician
  • Jeanne d'Ausshure (d. 1366), French surgeon
  • Brunetta de Siena (fl. 15th century), Italian-Jewish physician
  • Hildegard of Bingen (1099–1179), German natural philosopher
  • Sibyl of Benevento, Napolitan physician specializing in the plague buboes
  • Gentile Budrioli (?-1498), Italian astrologer and herbalist
  • Constanza, Italian surgeon, mentioned in Pope Sixtus IV edict regarding physicians and surgeons.
  • Denice (fl. 1292), French barber-surgeon
  • Demud (fl. ca. 13th century), German physician
  • Dobrodeia of Kiev (fl. 1122), Byzantine physician
  • Dorotea Bucca (fl. 1390), Italian professor of medicine
  • Constance Calenda (15th century), Italian surgeon specializing in diseases of the eye
  • Virdimura of Catania (fl. 1376), Jewish-Sicilian physician
  • Caterina of Florence (fl. 1400s), Florentine physician
  • Jeanne de Cusey (fl. 1438), French barber-surgeon
  • Antonia Daniello (fl. 1400), Florentine-Jewish physician
  • Clarice di Durisio (15th century), Italian physician
  • Fava of Manosque (fl. 1322), French-Jewish physician
  • Jacobina Félicie (fl. 1322), Italian physician
  • Francesca, muller de Berenguer Satorra (15th century), Catalan physician
  • Maria Gallicia (fl. 1309), licensed surgeon
  • Bellayne Gallipapa (fl. 1380), Zaragoza, Spanish-Jewish physician
  • Dolcich Gallipapa (fl. 1384), Leyda, Spanish-Jewish physician
  • Na Pla Gallipapa (fl. 1387), Zaragoza, Spanish-Jewish physician
  • Sarah de St Giles (fl. 1326), French-Jewish physician and medical teacher
  • Alessandra Giliani (fl. 1318), Italian anatomist
  • Rebecca de Guarna (fl. 1200), Italian physician
  • Magistra Hersend (fl. 1249–1259), French surgeon
  • Maria Incarnata, Italian surgeon, mentioned in Pope Sixtus IV edict regarding physicians and surgeons.
  • Isabiau la Mergesse (fl. 1292), French-Jewish physician
  • Floreta La-Noga (fl. 1374), Aragonese physician
  • Helvidis (fl. 1176), French physician
  • Keng Hsien-Seng (10th century), Chinese chemist
  • Li Shao Yun (11th century), Chinese chemist
  • Stephanie de Lyon (fl. 1265), French physician
  • Guillemette du Luys (fl. 1479), French royal surgeon
  • Thomasia de Mattio, Italian physician, mentioned in Pope Sixtus IV edict regarding physicians and surgeons.
  • Margherita di Napoli (late 14th century), Napolitan oculist active in Frankfurt-am-Main
  • Mercuriade (14th century), Italian physician and surgeon
  • Gilette de Narbonne (fl. 1300), French physician
  • Isabella da Ocre, Napolitan surgeon
  • Francisca da Romana, Napolitan physician
  • Dame Péronelle (1292–1319), French herbalist
  • Peretta Peronne, also called Perretta Petone (fl. 1411), French surgeon
  • Lauretta Ponte da Saracena Calabria, Napolitan physician
  • Trota of Salerno (fl. 1090), Italian physician
  • Marguerite Saluzzi (fl. 1460), Napolitan licensed herbalist physician
  • Sara de Sancto Aegidio (fl. 1326), French physician
  • Juana Sarrovia (fl. 1384), Barcelona, Spanish physician
  • Shen Yu Hsiu (15th century), Chinese chemist
  • Sun Pu-Eh (12th century), Chinese chemist
  • Raymunda da Taberna, licensed Napolitan surgeon
  • Théophanie (fl. 1291), French barber surgeon
  • Trotta da Toya (f. 1307), Napolitan physician
  • Polisena da Troya (fl. 1335), licensed Napolitan surgeon
  • Margarita da Venosa (fl. 1333), licensed Napolitan surgeon, who studied at the University of Salerno She was considered a noteworthy practitioner and counted Ladislaus, king of Naples, as a patient.
  • Francisca di Vestis (fl. 1308), Napolian physician
  • Zhang Xiaoniang (11th century), Chinese physician

16th century

Sophie Brahe portrait
Sophie Brahe portrait

17th century

Margaret cavendish from Luminarium
Margaret Cavendish

18th century

Portrait de Mme d'Arconville
Geneviève Charlotte d'Arconville
Emilie Chatelet portrait by Latour
Portrait of Émilie du Châtelet by Maurice Quentin de La Tour

19th century

Anthropology

Archeology

Astronomy

Annie Jump Cannon 1922 Portrait
Annie Jump Cannon, 1922 Portrait

Biology or natural history

Mary Anning by B. J. Donne
Mary Anning

Chemistry

Ida Freund
Ida Freund

Engineers

  • Mary Dicas (fl. 1800–1815), maker of scientific instruments
  • Emily Roebling (1844–1903), American civil engineer

Geology

Inventors

Mathematics

Ada Lovelace portrait
Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (Ada Lovelace)

Microbiology

Medicine

Kadambini Ganguly
Kadambini Ganguly

Nuclear physics

  • Lise Meitner (1878–1968), Austrian, Swedish, nuclear physicist

Physics

Psychology

Science education

Sociology

See also

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List of female scientists before the 20th century Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.