Anna Bayerová (4 November 1853 – 24 January 1924) was the second

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

female medical doctor, after Bohuslava Kecková. Both of them were prevented from practicing as doctors in their own country so Kecková became a Czech midwife, whereas Bayerová had a medical practise in Berne.

Biography

Bayerová was born in Vojtěchov (now part of

Mšeno Mšeno (; german: Wemschen) is a town in Mělník District the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monumen ...

) near

Mělník Mělník (; german: Melnik) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Mělník lies in one of the most im ...

on 4 November 1853, the youngest child of Josef and Marie Bayer. She attended school in Mělník until 1868, when she moved to

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

, where she met the authors

Eliška Krásnohorská Eliška Krásnohorská (18 November 1847, in Prague – 26 November 1926, in Prague) was a Czech feminist author. She was introduced to literature and feminism by Karolína Světlá. She wrote works of lyric poetry and literary criticism, however ...

and Sofie Podlipská, and took gymnasial exams, despite not being allowed to attend the gymnasium. In 1875, Bayerová moved to Zurich and started attending classes at the

University of Zurich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...

. However, she suffered financial problems and returned home in 1878. Eventually, after receiving money to continue her studies, Anna Bayerová graduated from the

University of Bern The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a compreh ...

and thus became the second female Czech physician in 1881. However, like the first female Czech physician ( Bohuslava Kecková, who graduated in 1880 from the

), Bayerová graduated from a Swiss university rather than a Czech one, and had to practice abroad as her doctorate was not recognized by her homeland. The third woman doctor was Anna Honzáková. Bayerová graduated from the

and was the first to practice successfully. She established her own private practice in Berne whereas Bohuslava Kecková had the first qualification she became a Czech midwife. In 1889 Bayerová's achievement was recognised by popular support. 700 women wrote an open letter to her and the women's magazine Ženské Listy. The letter hoped that she could return as they wanted to see female doctors in their country. She died on 24 January 1924 in

. In her hometown there is a street named in her honour.Street Anny Bayerove
Kurzy.cz, Retrieved 3 November 2016

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayerova, Anna 1853 births 1924 deaths People from Mělník District 19th-century Czech physicians Czech feminists University of Zurich alumni Czech midwives 19th-century women physicians