Women Healers in History
284-364 CE
Bao Gu
Bao Gu is credited to be the first to use moxibustion therapy, in which mugwort is ignited and applied to acupuncture points. She was also the wife of Ge Hong, a famous Chinese philosopher and physician.
1822-1913 CE
Harriet Tubman
Tubman escaped from slavery in eastern Maryland and helped with the Underground railroad. During the Civil War, she was appointed as the matron of the colored Hospital at Fort Monroe. As a nurse, she utilized folk herbal medicine that she learned while growing up in Maryland.
1920s CE
Dr. Margaret Chung
Dr. Chung was the first Chinese American woman to become a physician. As a Christian, she applied to be a medical missionary after graduating from the University of Southern California but was rejected because of her race. She became a medical resident in the Chicago area and later returned to California to practice. Her private practice became popular with the Hollywood elite. After volunteering to serve as a front-line surgeon during the Sino-Japanese War. She later used her influence to lobby for the creation of WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). However, her own application to join WAVES was rejected due to her race and sexuality.