Ernestina Pérez Barahona (

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

, 8 August 1865 - 1951) was a Chilean

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and feminist activist known for being one of the first female students of medicine at the

University of Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

and for being the second woman physician in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, graduating just days after Eloísa Díaz.

Education

Pérez Barahona received her secondary education at the Lebrun Pinochet School. She received a Bachelor of Letters degree in 1883, and began her study of medicine later in the same year. In January 1887, she received her Physician and Surgeon degree and title. She left for

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

in 1888, entering the Frederick Wilhelm University (now known as

Humboldt University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

). She took classes alongside men, but administrators installed a screen to prevent the other students from seeing her. She was the first woman to study medicine at the University. Two years later, she went to Paris to continue her studies.

Career

Pérez Barahona returned to Chile in 1894. She practiced medicine at San Borja Hospital and taught classes for female students, at the request of President

José Manuel Balmaceda José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández (; July 19, 1840 – September 19, 1891) served as the 10th President of Chile from September 18, 1886, to August 29, 1891. Balmaceda was part of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy in Chile. While he was ...

. She made another trip to Europe in 1910, publishing her book ''Compendio de Ginecologia'' in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

in 1910. While in Germany, the Medical Academy of Berlin appointed her as an honorary member. She was the first person from South America to become a member. Throughout her career, she was particularly interested in

women's health Women's health differs from that of men in many unique ways. Women's health is an example of population health, where health is defined by the World Health Organization as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not mer ...

and

personal hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

and advocated for women's education. She was part of a lecture circle, women's club, and the Chilean

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

, and founded an association for university women. Related to her interest in public health and hygiene, she was concerned about alcoholism and how it would effect Chileans. Many years after her death, the Chilean Women's Union (''La Unión Chilena De Mujeres'') convened a special meeting in her honor, including a speech by Elena Caffarena. They honored her for opening up the field of medicine for women in South America and her feminist advocacy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez Barahona, Ernestina 1865 births 1951 deaths People from Valparaíso Chilean feminists Chilean activists Chilean women activists University of Chile alumni Chilean women physicians 20th-century Chilean women writers Chilean non-fiction writers 19th-century Chilean women 19th-century women physicians Expatriates in the German Empire