History of women surgeons. My story begins in 1968

The history of women surgeons is inseparable from 2 struggles: that of women doctors, and on this subject the Inquisition manuals are formal: "any person of the female sex who meddles in treating the sick is reputed to be a "witch''; but also the struggle of the surgeons which took place in the Middle Ages between the literate doctors who depended on the University and the surgeons who were considered to be manual. Their history dates back to antiquity. There was an important regression in the Middle Ages because surgery was forbidden to women, unless they took over the practice of their deceased husbands or a competent jury judged them fit. A regression followed for 8 centuries because women could not enter the University. The 19th century will be the one of conquest. Women persisted, even if it meantputting themselves in danger, such as disguising themselves as men to practice, or illustrating themselves on the battlefield. They had to win the right to externship, internship and then to the clinic. Some of our colleagues fought courageously with them, others acted against them in anactive, violent and sexist way. The 20th century will be a long way to acquire the professorship and positions of responsibility. Until the 70s few women became surgeons. I started my studies in the year that ended with the events of 1968, 30% of the students were women. Very few wanted to become surgeons. My ranking at the 1973 internship opened this possibility and Iwas the first woman intern in the department. My teachers made little difference to my male colleagues towards whom I made a point to be irreproachable. A little thanks to them, I workeda lot with an excellent training that allowed me to climb the ladder until I wished to becomea professor and above all to create a de novo service. These were very difficult years, more supported by my surgical colleagues than by the hospital and/or university medical authorities. My background in pediatric visceral surgery helped me because I knew the ``normal'' model of operation. It took 17 years to get to the same situation as other surgical departments and only encounter the same problems as them. Currently the proportion of female surgeons is over 50%. There is still a question mark over the equality in front of the academic positions or those with responsibility. (c) 2021 l'Academie nationale de medecine. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.