189:, Germany to the town’s progressive doctor, physician Christian Polycarp Leporin and his wife Anna Sophia, née Meinecke Her father home schooled his children and noticed her excelling at her schoolwork early on in life, as well as her general brightness. He arranged for her to be tutored in Latin, math and the sciences alongside her brother Tobias. When asked about his daughter’s studies, Christian Polycarp Leporin was noted as saying that gifted women’s talents are being wasted in the kitchen. The Leporin family embraced the new ideas of the
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and urination, as well as the correct usage and dosage of opiates. Erxleben's dissertation quickly spread throughout
Germany, particularly among women with health problems, and Erxleben even translated the dissertation from Latin into German to make it more accessible to the poor. On 12 June 1754,
328:
Despite her
University admission, Erxleben never entered University. In 1741, at the age of 26, she married auxiliary priest Johann Christian Erxleben, the husband of her recently deceased cousin, who already had five children. Their marriage was a generally happy one, and Dorothea went on to have
134:. Despite a Royal permission to attend, Erxleben never entered University. When her cousin died, leaving 5 five children, she decided in 1741, at the age of 26, to look after them, married widower Johann Christian Erxleben and went on to have four children with him.
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book argued for
Germany to take advantage of the talents of half of its population, while her father wrote a foreword that described the need for reform in Germany’s universities and how the admittance of women would spur this long-needed change.
312:, argued that women were by law forbidden to practice medicine and therefore earning a degree in such a field would be a waste of time. Although Erxleben never publicly remarked on the controversy behind
349:
in
Quedlinburg even without a degree, and became highly respected by the town.During her 4th pregnancy in 1753 one of her patients died. Three local physicians charged her with medical
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four children with Johann over the next few years. Despite being busy at home for years managing her nine children, Dorothea was able to continue her medical studies at a slower pace.
463:
Dorothea
Christiana Erxleben (1715 – 1762): Die erste promovierte Ärztin Deutschlands. Eine Analyse ihrer lateinischen Promotionsschrift sowie der ersten deutschen Übersetzung
388:
For nearly 150 years, German medical history did not see another woman. Only in the early 20th century would women once again become admitted into German medical schools.
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The case rose through the courts and was brought before
Frederick the Great in January 1754. The king ruled that Erxleben would have to pass an examination and submit a
431:
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In 1747, her father died and her husband's health began to deteriorate, leaving the
Leporin family with serious debts. To pay off these debts, Erxleben began to
364:, in which she argued that doctors were too quick to prescribe unnecessary cures. She stated that doctors intervened too quickly to prescribe medicines like
682:
Poeter, Elisabeth (2008). "Gender, Religion, and
Medicine in Enlightenment Germany: Dorothea Christiane Leporin's Treatise on the Education of Women".
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at the
University of Halle, and with the support of the university's rector, she did just that in 1754. Her medical inaugural dissertation was titled
193:, such as the values of Germany’s Burgertum, which led to Christian’s belief that both of his children should receive the best education possible.
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for illnesses that did not require them and made suggestions regarding their correct usage and dosage, as well as best interventions to promote
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and filed a law suit. They felt their monopoly on medicine was threatened. Despite lack of proof, she was prohibited to continue to practice.
840:
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and perspiratory agents as it was practiced at that time. She pointed out that doctors were too quick to prescribe unnecessary cures like
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At the
University of Halle Medical School a learning centre is named in her honor. Clinics and foundations have been named after her.
815:
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in Quedlinburg without a degree, and became highly respected by the towns people. However, local physicians who felt their
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However, she is still a pioneer in this field for women and for her ideas about opiates and the proper use of medicines.
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She spent the next 8 years practicing medicine in her hometown of Quedlinburg and died of breast cancer on 13 June 1762.
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of Prussia to allow her entry into the University of Halle. Frederick the Great approved this request in April of 1741.
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Ludwig, H. (September 2012). "Dorothea Christiana Erxleben (1715–1762): Erste promovierte Ärztin in Deutschland".
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316:, she began to write down her arguments and opinions on the topic, which were published in 1742 as a book titled
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Both siblings were introduced into medicine by their father. Her brother Tobias planned to study medicine at the
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and urination. She spent another 8 years practicing medicine in her hometown of Quedlinburg until she died of
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Dorothea Erxleben was born Dorothea Christiane Polycarp Leporin on 13 November 1715, in the small town of
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in Germany. Educated by her progressive physician father and rector of her school, she desired to attend
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Erxleben’s admission into university was both criticized and admired. Critics like Johann Rhetius, a
711:
Schiebinger, Londa (1990). "The Anatomy of Difference: Race and Sex in Eighteenth-Century Science".
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for illnesses that did not require them and made several suggestions regarding the proper use of
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Dorothea Erxleben received her M.D. degree, becoming the first woman in Germany to do so.
118:(13 November 1715 – 13 June 1762) was a German medical doctor who became the first female
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Concerning the Swift and Pleasant but for that Reason less than Full Cure of Illnesses
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Concerning the Swift and Pleasant but for that Reason less than Full Cure of Illnesses
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Howard, Sethanne (2007). "SCIENCE HAS NO GENDER: The History of Women in Science".
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On 13 November 2015, Google celebrated her 300th birthday with a Google Doodle.
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postage stamp for the purpose of honoring Dorothea as part of its stamp series "
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on medical services was threatened filed a law suit, charging her with medical
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220:. Bassi was the first woman in the world to be a professor at a university.
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Dorothea Erxleben: Eighteenth-Century Role Model for Today's Working Parent
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530:"Science as a Career in Enlightenment Italy: The Strategies of Laura Bassi"
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In 1747, due to economic constraints, the mother of nine children began to
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A Thorough Inquiry into the Causes Preventing the Female Sex from Studying
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469:(PhD thesis) (in German). Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg.
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633:"Dorothea Christiane Erxleben's 300th Birthday Doodle - Google Doodles"
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432:"Deutschlands erste Ă„rztin: Wer war Dorothea Christiana Erxleben?"
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at the University of Halle. Her inaugural dissertation was titled
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On 17 September 1987, the German Federal Post Office issued a 60
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569:"Dorothea Leporin Erxleben: German doctor of the Enlightenment"
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and study medicine like her brother. She eventually petitioned
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House in Quedlinburg where Dorothea Erxleben lived and worked
157:, in which she argued against the prophylactic use of strong
615:"Die Dauerserie "Frauen der deutschen Geschichte""
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212:, an Italian physicist and academic had become
501:"Dorothea Erxleben: Deutschlands erste Ă„rztin"
238:University application, admission and marriage
663:Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences
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276:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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841:18th-century German women scientists
499:RĂĽckert, Ulrike (13 November 2015).
274:adding citations to reliable sources
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782:Bolter, Christina (December 2002).
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430:Weishaupt, Marina (7 March 2022).
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436:National Geographic Deutschland
79:Quedlinburg, Kingdom of Prussia
816:18th-century German physicians
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567:Ferry, Georgina (April 2024).
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836:18th-century women physicians
585:10.1016/s0140-6736(24)00761-x
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116:Dorothea Christiane Erxleben
16:German physician (1715–1762)
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742:The British Medical Journal
403:The Women of German History
44:Dorothea Christiane Leporin
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713:Eighteenth-Century Studies
775:10.1007/s00129-012-3031-8
740:"The First Lady Doctor".
460:Markau, Kornelia (2006).
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202:Anna Maria van Schurman
196:Later she attended the
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206:Olympia Fulvia Morata
270:improve this section
230:She petitioned King
214:doctor of philosophy
191:Age of Enlightenment
748:(2416): 952. 1907.
621:on 9 February 2006.
232:Frederick the Great
225:University of Halle
198:Gymnasium (Germany)
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62:Kingdom of Prussia
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669:(1): 1–15.
513:26 November
509:(in German)
442:26 November
438:(in German)
310:pamphleteer
210:Laura Bassi
187:Quedlinburg
58:Quedlinburg
805:Categories
793:10125/7060
786:(Thesis).
573:The Lancet
412:References
370:purgatives
286:April 2024
181:Early life
163:purgatives
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554:0021-1753
257:does not
85:Education
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351:quackery
159:laxative
147:quackery
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105:Medicine
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399:pfennig
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278:removed
263:sources
216:at the
167:opiates
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320:. Her
102:Fields
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700:JSTOR
671:JSTOR
467:(PDF)
644:2024
597:PMID
589:ISSN
550:ISSN
534:Isis
515:2022
444:2022
261:any
259:cite
204:and
69:Died
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