Virdimura was a XIVth century Sicilian Jew living in Catania and married to Pasquale, himself a Jew and physician (“Virdimuram ludeam uxorem pascalis de medico de cathania ludei servi camere nostre”). Even though news about Virdimura’s life are very scarce (we don’t know, for instance, when she was born or died), it can be claimed she was the first woman to be officially authorized to practice the medical profession in Sicily (“licenciam praticandi in sciencia medicine circa curas phisicas corporum humanorum”). It wasn’t, in fact, uncommon during the Middle Ages that a woman (wife or daughter or sister) learnt medicine from their male relatives and were often asked to unofficially perform medications and prepare medicaments off secret family recipes, to the point we can talk about actual medical dynasties. Until the middle of the XVth century, Jewish doctors made up the majority of the Sicilian medical personnel since many Sicilian Christian doctors had migrated towards Salerno and other Northern Italy cities. Sicilian Jews could speak Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Arabic and this ability facilitated them in the study of medical treatises. Starting XIII-XIV women were able to attend universities courses, and (talking about the Kingdom of Sicily) were welcomed at the Schola Medica Salernitana and the University of Naples. The only thing that distinguished a woman from her male Christian colleagues was that she couldn’t boast the title of doctor since (according to Christian jurists) nor women nor Jews possessed the dignitas, such as the legal capacity to exercise autorictas. That meant they could practice medicine (and reached the level of magister), but not teach it. Moreover, according to the Sicilian constitution of 1310, Jewish doctors couldn’t treat Christian patients lest they would be sentenced to a year in jail and forced on bread and water, while the patient’s detention would last three months (although some of these Jewish doctors became court physicians and treated sovereigns and even Popes and members of the clergy).
Back in 1134 and 1140, Ruggero II of Sicily had regulated that nobody could practice the medical profession without authorization and in 1224 Federico II decreed that the candidate needed to be previously authorized by an official commission of doctors of the Schola Medica Salernitana before practising medicine. An official document dated November 7th 1376 attests that Virdimura, was indeed tested by the Chief Physician of Sicily (the Dienchelele), who awarded her the medical licence, which she could practice in the entire territory of the Kingdom of Sicily (“ubique locorum dicti regni nostri Sicilie”). The document states that, even before passing the medical test, Virdimura was already universally praised (“qui eamdem virdimuram previa examinadone predicta. ac suadente fama laudabili”) and that she used to treat those people who couldn’t afford to pay doctor’s high fees (“maxime pauperum quibus dificile censetur immensa phisicorum et medicorum salaria solvere”).
Despite being a rather unknown historical figure, Virdimura is still nowadays celebrated with the creation of a “Virdimura Award”. Created in Catania in 2013, this international award honours all those women who, aside from practising medicine, have devoted their lives to helping their neighbours.
Bella di Paija was a XVth century Sicilian Jew living in Mineo (nearby Catania), home to one of the most active Sicilian Giudeccas between the XIV-XVth centuries. Like for Virdimura, news about Bella’s life are pretty much nonexistent. We know though that she was married and had unofficially practised medicine for decades before being officially licensed to perform surgeries.
Unlike Virdimura, who had to petition to be judged by the committee to receive her permission (“Cum ad humilem supplicacionem factam novicer excellencie nostre”), Bella was personally licensed through a royal decree on September 6th 1414 by the Regent Blanca of Navarre, who had been informed by trusted persons about Bella’s long and successful career (“havi patricatu et exerzuta l’arti di la celurgia in la quali si havi ben portatu, cum sanitati di li pacienti”). Bella could now officially practice surgery (“in qualsivoglia infirmitati di celurgia”) in all the territories part of the Camera Reginale (the dowry Sicilian Queen consorts received upon marrying and consisting on the fieffs of Paternò, Mineo, Vizzini, Castiglione di Sicilia, Francavilla di Sicilia, Siracusa, Lentini, Avola, the village of Santo Stefano di Briga, the island of Pantelleria, and Castle of Maniace in Siracusa). Another difference between the two physicians was that, differently from Virdimura, Bella and her husband were exempted from paying taxes and shouldn’t suffer any kind of harrassment (“liberi et exempti di omni angaria, perangaria, collecti, imposicioni”). Female Jewish physicians (licensed or not) were particularly appreciated, especially by their fellow female patients (who made up the majority of their clientele) and were considered experts in obstetrics and in general all those diseases and issues which concerned the female body. Apart from treating broken bones, sewing up wounds and perform small operations, these medichesse were very often asked to restore through plastic surgery the virginity of those Jewish women who had had sexual intercourses prior the marriage and were afraid to be repudiated once their future husbands had discovered they were no longer virgins. They also gave advices concerning birth control and assisted their patients in case of abortion, or during their pregnancy and at the moment of the birth. It must be pointed out that, unlike their Christian colleagues, since XIIth century Jewish physicians stressed the importance of washing their hands before treating a patient, anticipating thus the discovery of XIXth Hungarian physician Semmelweis.
Sources:
- BELFIORE G., Le medichesse, l’importante ruolo delle ebree in Sicilia;
- FASANO G., L’incredibile storia di Virdimura e delle altre medichesse siciliane;
- FRISCIA V., Bella de Paija e Virdimura de Medico: due medichesse catanesi;
- LAGUMINA G. - LAGUMINA B., Codice diplomatico dei giudei di Sicilia, vol. I-part I;
- LEONE A., Medici e Medichesse ebrei nella Sicilia del 1400;
- POTTINO P., Virdimura, la “dutturissa” che sfidò i preconcetti nella Sicilia medievale;
- PRECOPI LOMBARDO A., Virdimura, dottoressa ebrea del Medio Evo siciliano;
- SANTORO D., La cura delle donne. Ruoli e pratiche femminili tra XIV e XVII secolo in Memoria, storia e identità. Scritti per Laura Sciascia;
- STRANGES P., Premio Virdimura a Corinne Devin, da Miss Stati Uniti ai Marines;
- TAITZ E. - HENRY S. - TALLAN C., Jps Guide to Jewish Women;
- VENTURA D., Medici Ebrei a Catania
