About Agnodice:
Dates: 4th century BCE
Occupation: physician, gynecologist
Places: Athens, Greece
More About Agnodice:
Agnodice dressed as a man to study with the doctor Herophilus. She began to practice gynecology, still disguised.
Her fame became great, and fellow doctors accused her of corrupting women. She was forced to reveal herself as a woman in order to escape execution -- and then was charged with practicing medicine illegally since women were not permitted to practice medicine. The court in Athens acquitted Agnodice.
The only source for information about Agnodice is from the first century CE by the Latin writer Hyginus. Thus, it is likely that Agnodice's story is mythical rather than historical.
