Virdimura

Virdimura (fl. 1376) was a Sicilian Jewish doctor, the first woman officially certified to practice medicine in Sicily.[1]

Biography

Though few biographical details of Virdimura are known, she was a Jewish woman living in Catania, Sicily, in the 14th century.[2][3]

She was trained in the practice of Jewish medicine, perhaps by her husband, Pasquale de Medico of Catania, who was also thought to be a physician.[2][3][4][5][6] It is not known if Pasquale was Jewish or not.[7]

She obtained a royal license to practice medicine across the island of Sicily on November 7, 1376, with the approval of the doctors of King Frederick's royal court.[8][9] Virdimura was asked to complete exams for the certification.[6] Her patients also testified on her behalf, and the licensing documentation notes that the examiners took into consideration the "praise universally given her."[10][11]

With this, she became the first woman physician with this designation on the island. She subsequently traveled throughout Sicily treating patients.[2]

Virdimura particularly focused on treating poor and disabled patients, charging them less for her services than her male contemporaries.[2][4][12] This also likely meant that she treated both female and male patients, and both Jews and gentiles.[6][13]

Legacy

The International Virdimura Award, which recognizes doctors with a humanitarian mission, is named for her.[1]

A square in Catania, in the San Giovanni Galermo [it] district, was also named in her honor in 2020.[14]

In 2024, a biography of the doctor, titled Virdimura, was published by the Syracusean writer Lo Iacono Simona.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b Stranges, Paola (July 25, 2020). "Virdimura Award to Corinne Devin, from Miss United States to the Marines". Italiani. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Vecchio Ignazio, Di Mauro S., Tornali Cristina, Rampello L., Migliore M. (2013). "Jewish Medicine and Surgery in Catania, Italy Before 1492". Acta Medica Mediterranea. 29: 359.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b Simonsohn, Shlomo, 1923–2019. (2011). Between Scylla and Charybdis : the Jews in Sicily. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-19245-4. OCLC 729724688.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Whaley, Leigh Ann. (2011). Women and the practice of medical care in early modern Europe, 1400–1800. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-28291-9. OCLC 646112089.
  5. ^ Shatzmiller, Joseph. (1994). Jews, medicine, and medieval society. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-08059-9. OCLC 27380634.
  6. ^ a b c Roth, Cecil (1953). "The Qualification of Jewish Physicians in the Middle Ages". Speculum. 28 (4): 834–843. doi:10.2307/2849209. ISSN 0038-7134. JSTOR 2849209. S2CID 162193993.
  7. ^ Medieval Jewish civilization : an encyclopedia. Norman Roth. New York: Routledge. 2003. ISBN 0-415-93712-4. OCLC 49226220.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. ^ Bartolomeo Lagumina, Giuseppe Lagumina (1884). Codice diplomatico dei giudei di Sicilia (in Italian). University of Michigan. Tip. di M. Amenta. p. 99.
  9. ^ The Jews in Sicily. Simonsohn, Shlomo, 1923–2019. Leiden. 2000. ISBN 90-04-10977-3. OCLC 37814203.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ^ Women in world history : a biographical encyclopedia. Commire, Anne., Klezmer, Deborah. Waterford, CT: Yorkin Publications. 1999–2002. ISBN 0-7876-3736-X. OCLC 41108563.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. ^ Taitz, Emily. (2003). The JPS guide to Jewish women : 600 B.C.E.to 1900 C.E. Henry, Sondra., Tallan, Cheryl. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. ISBN 978-0-8276-0974-7. OCLC 676699912.
  12. ^ "Doctors: Medieval". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  13. ^ OLIVERI, FABIO; אוליבירי, פאביו (1993). "נשים יהודיות בסיציליה הקדומה ובימי הביניים / Jewish Women in Ancient and Medieval Sicily". Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies / דברי הקונגרס העולמי למדעי היהדות. יא: 130–134. ISSN 0333-9068. JSTOR 23536307.
  14. ^ "Catania, nuovi nomi per alcune vie e piazze: ecco quali cambieranno". LiveUniCT (in Italian). November 10, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "Virdimura". New Italian Books. April 10, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2025.

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