Laura Martinez was the first doctor woman in Cuba
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- 04 / 07 / 2008
Since she was a little girl she showed to be a precocious child, he learned to read at the age of four.
She studied in the Manuela de Concha y Duval elementary school for young women. Later, the high school studies in the San Francisco de Paula school where she was graduated at the age of thirteen, that same year she entered to the University of Havana to study Physical-Mathematical Sciences and Medicine. She studied very hard to pass 19 subjects. She got excellent qualifications in 17 of them and in the other 2 subjects, outstanding remarks.
After graduation she had to impose respect and perseverance to assert herself in a society that did not accept women in that position.
However, in spite of adversities, Laura won the respect and admiration of her colleagues thanks to her daily work.
In 1883 she started her clinic training at the San Felipe and Santiago hospital located above the prison where prisoners were assisted. Afterwards she moved to San Francisco de Paula hospital where she passed subjects of obstetrics and those related to diseases of women and children.
Due to social prejudices existing in our country during the 19th Century, the principalship of the University did not allow that the young woman practiced the dissection of corpses together with her classmates- all of them of male sex- in the auditorium of San Felipe and Santiago hospital. Laura had to practice alone, Saturdays and Sundays.
Laura knew the man that would become her husband, Dr. Enrique Lopez Veitia (an important ophthalmologist and initiator of medical congresses in Cuba) at the Reina Mercedes Hospital located in 23 and L at that time. She was a very attractive woman, slight, of vivid features, dark eyes and slightly wavy bright hair. Enrique wanted to get marry soon but Lauras father opposed it -as it happens at that time- asking to his daughter to finish her studies before getting married. They married five days after her graduation as doctor on July, 1889. One year before, Laura had finished her Physics and Mathematic studies.
Enrique specialized in Ophthalmology and directed the Polyclinic of Specialties, where Laura began to work as doctor and became her husbands assistant and she was also in charge of his husbands patients when he could not see them.
Together with her husband Laura attended many medical congresses and collaborated in several publications such as "Physiological Notes", "Clinic Observations", "Ocular leprosy" as well as the three volumes of Clinic Ophthalmology. Thus, she became the first ophthalmologist woman in the country.
The couple had seven children that she breastfeed and took care of without giving up her work in the polyclinic and even in her house. She was especially fond of flowers and animals. She was member of Banco de Piedad, founded and directed by Mrs. Jeanette Ryder who devoted her fortune to shelter defenseless children and animals.
On the other hand, she studied painting in different opportunities that helped her to illustrate her writings and an eye bottom Atlas.
Her husband died in 1910 at the age of 51 years old. After his death, Laura built "El Retiro" farm and together with Maria, one of her daughters, she created a small school free for poor people. Some time later, she was diagnosed tuberculosis and died on January 24, 1941 at the age of 72 years.
(Cubaheadlines.com)
She studied in the Manuela de Concha y Duval elementary school for young women. Later, the high school studies in the San Francisco de Paula school where she was graduated at the age of thirteen, that same year she entered to the University of Havana to study Physical-Mathematical Sciences and Medicine. She studied very hard to pass 19 subjects. She got excellent qualifications in 17 of them and in the other 2 subjects, outstanding remarks.
After graduation she had to impose respect and perseverance to assert herself in a society that did not accept women in that position.
However, in spite of adversities, Laura won the respect and admiration of her colleagues thanks to her daily work.
In 1883 she started her clinic training at the San Felipe and Santiago hospital located above the prison where prisoners were assisted. Afterwards she moved to San Francisco de Paula hospital where she passed subjects of obstetrics and those related to diseases of women and children.
Due to social prejudices existing in our country during the 19th Century, the principalship of the University did not allow that the young woman practiced the dissection of corpses together with her classmates- all of them of male sex- in the auditorium of San Felipe and Santiago hospital. Laura had to practice alone, Saturdays and Sundays.
Laura knew the man that would become her husband, Dr. Enrique Lopez Veitia (an important ophthalmologist and initiator of medical congresses in Cuba) at the Reina Mercedes Hospital located in 23 and L at that time. She was a very attractive woman, slight, of vivid features, dark eyes and slightly wavy bright hair. Enrique wanted to get marry soon but Lauras father opposed it -as it happens at that time- asking to his daughter to finish her studies before getting married. They married five days after her graduation as doctor on July, 1889. One year before, Laura had finished her Physics and Mathematic studies.
Enrique specialized in Ophthalmology and directed the Polyclinic of Specialties, where Laura began to work as doctor and became her husbands assistant and she was also in charge of his husbands patients when he could not see them.
Together with her husband Laura attended many medical congresses and collaborated in several publications such as "Physiological Notes", "Clinic Observations", "Ocular leprosy" as well as the three volumes of Clinic Ophthalmology. Thus, she became the first ophthalmologist woman in the country.
The couple had seven children that she breastfeed and took care of without giving up her work in the polyclinic and even in her house. She was especially fond of flowers and animals. She was member of Banco de Piedad, founded and directed by Mrs. Jeanette Ryder who devoted her fortune to shelter defenseless children and animals.
On the other hand, she studied painting in different opportunities that helped her to illustrate her writings and an eye bottom Atlas.
Her husband died in 1910 at the age of 51 years old. After his death, Laura built "El Retiro" farm and together with Maria, one of her daughters, she created a small school free for poor people. Some time later, she was diagnosed tuberculosis and died on January 24, 1941 at the age of 72 years.
(Cubaheadlines.com)
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