Dr. Anandi Gopal Joshi
Today, February 26, marks the
death anniversary of Anandi Gopal Joshi, India's first female doctor and one of
the earliest female physicians in the country. Also referred to as Anandibai
Joshi, she was the first woman from the erstwhile Bombay presidency
(present-day Maharashtra) to study and graduate with a two-year degree in
western medicine in the United States. Originally named Yamuna, Joshi was born
on March 31, 1865, and brought up in a Marathi Brahmin family. As was the
tradition during that time, she was married at the age of just nine to Gopalrao
Joshi, a postal clerk and a widower almost twenty years older than her. After
marriage, Yamuna's husband renamed her 'Anandi'. Gopalrao Joshi was a strong
supporter of women's education, and since this was considered unusual at that
time, he was considered a progressive thinker.
Anandi Gopal Joshi is the first Indian female to
study western medicine and became an inspiration to generations of women to
pursue their further education.
What Inspired Her To Pursue Medicine?
Anandibai
gave birth to a baby boy at the age of just 14, but the child could not survive
more than ten days due to a lack of medical care. The incident was a turning
point in Anandi's life and inspired her to do something about healthcare in
India. After Gopalrao tried to enrol her in missionary schools and did not work
out, they moved to Calcutta. There she learned to read and speak English and
Sanskrit. In 1880, Gopalrao sent a letter to Royal Wilder, a renowned American
missionary, stating his wife's interest in inquiring about a relevant post in
the US for himself. Wilder published the correspondence in his Princeton's
Missionary Review. Theodicia Carpenter, a Roselle, New Jersey resident,
happened to read it while waiting to see her dentist. She wrote to the former,
impressed by Anandibai's desire to pursue medicine and Gopalrao's support for
his wife. Carpenter and Anandibai developed a close bond and came to refer to
each other as "aunt" and "niece."
While the husband-wife duo was in Calcutta,
Anandibai's health started deteriorating. She suffered from constant headaches,
weakness, occasional fever, and breathlessness. Theodicia sent her medicines
from America but unfortunately showed no results. In 1883, Gopalrao was
transferred to Serampore, and he decided to send his wife by herself to the US
for her medical studies despite her poor health condition. Though concerned,
Gopalrao convinced her to set an example for other women by pursuing higher
education. Anandi Gopal Joshi applied to the Women's Medical College of
Pennsylvania and was granted admission. Upon learning Anandibai's plans to
pursue higher education in the West, orthodox Indian society strongly criticised
her. Later, she addressed the community at Serampore College Hall, explaining
her decision to go to America and obtain a medical degree. She emphasised the
need for female doctors in India, emphasising that Hindu women could better
serve as physicians to their counterparts. Her speech received wide publicity,
and financial contributions started pouring in from all over India. In March
1886, Anandibai graduated with an MD. The topic of her thesis was
"Obstetrics among the Aryan Hindoos", and her thesis utilised
references from both American medical textbooks and Ayurvedic texts. On her
graduation, Queen Victoria sent her a congratulatory message. In late 1886,
Anandibai returned to India and received a grand welcome. The princely state of
Kolhapur appointed her as the physician-in-charge of the female ward of the
local Albert Edward Hospital.
Anandibai died of tuberculosis early the
following year, on February 26, 1887, in Pune before turning 22. Her ashes were
sent to Theodicia Carpenter, who placed them in her family cemetery in New
York. Despite practising medicine for only two to three months, she rose to
fame for her sheer determination and hard work to become the first Indian
female to study western medicine and a source of inspiration to all others who
came after her.
