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

Biography

Though few biographical details of Virdimura are known, she was a Jewish woman living in

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

, Sicily, in the 14th century. She was trained in the practice of

Jewish medicine Jewish medicine is medical practice of the Jewish people, including writing in the languages of both Hebrew and Arabic. 28% of Nobel Prize winners in medicine have been Jewish, although Jews comprise less than 0.2% of the world's population. Hist ...

, perhaps by her husband, Pasquale de Medico of Catania, who was also thought to be a physician. It is not known if Pasquale was Jewish or not. 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. Virdimura was asked to complete exams for the certification. Her patients also testified on her behalf, and the licensing documentation notes that the examiners took into consideration the "praise universally given her." With this, she became the first woman physician with this designation on the island. She subsequently traveled throughout Sicily treating patients. Virdimura particularly focused on treating poor and disabled patients, charging them less for her services than her male contemporaries. This also likely meant that she treated both female and male patients, and both Jews and

gentile Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym for ...

Legacy

The International Virdimura Award, which recognizes doctors with a humanitarian mission, is named for her. A square in Catania, in the district, was also named in her honor in 2020.

References

{{reflist 14th-century Italian physicians 14th-century Italian Jews Physicians from Sicily People from Catania Medieval women physicians Jewish physicians