Aemilia (physician)

Aemilia Hilaria (c. 300 – c. 363)[1] was a Gallo-Roman physician. She practiced medicine, and wrote books on gynecology and obstetrics.[2] She was called "Hilaria" due to her cheerfulness as a baby.[3]

Contents

Life

Aemilia was born in the Roman Empire in an area near what is now Moselle, France. She continued to live in the area as an adult and became a physician there.[1] Aemilia was the maternal aunt of Ausonius. Ausonius wrote a series of biographical poems about his family members, including Ameilia, called Parentalia. His poem about his aunt described her as a "dedicated virgin", who rejected marriage in order to further her career.[4] He described her as "trained in the medical arts as well as any man."[5] He called her an honest and skilled physician, who also assisted her physician brother in his own studies.[1]

Legacy

Aemilia is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor.[2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey (2000). The biographical dictionary of women in science: pioneering lives from ancient times to the mid-20th century. Taylor & Francis US. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-415-92038-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=QmfyK0QtsRAC&pg=PA11. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
  2. ^ a b Chicago, 86.
  3. ^ Gardner, Jane F. (1991). Women in Roman Law and Society (1st ed.). Indiana University Press. p. 182. ISBN 0253206359. 
  4. ^ a b "Aemilia". Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: The Dinner Party: Heritage Floor. Brooklyn Museum. 2007. http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/aemilia.php. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
  5. ^ Furst, Lilian R. (1999). Women Healers and Physicians: Climbing a Long Hill. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. p. 144. ISBN 081310954X. 

Bibliography