AGNODICE: A Lesson In Empowerment—How Just One Woman CAN Make a Difference by Gayle Goldwin

From the dawn of prehistory into Egyptian times, women, not men, were the world's midwives and healers. But as patriarchal regimes spread war, suffering and tyranny across the planet in their drive for conquest, women were more and more limited to the relative safety of their homes.

By the 4th century B.C.E., Greek men, seeking to limit their competition, had enacted laws barring women from even studying medicine, much less practicing it. The penalty was nothing less than death.

Male disrespect for all things female, and for Woman's body in particular, led to feelings of shame and humiliation. Unnecessary modesty and embarrassment prevented the women of Athens from discussing "intimate" ailments with their doctors, all of whom were, by law, men. As a result, many women suffered and died needlessly for want of basic medical care.

Outraged and saddened by the suffering she saw, Agnodice decided to do something about it. She donned men's clothes, cut her hair to look like a man and set off to Alexandria to study medicine. When she returned, credentials in hand, she set up a practice specializing in gynecology.

Her female patients assumed that she was, of course, a man, and were at first reluctant to discuss their problems. But when Agnodice pulled up her tunic to prove she was a woman, her practice was soon flooded with new patients as the whispered news spread from friend to friend. 

Jealous and angry over the sudden exodus of their patients (not to mention the reduction in their income), Agnodice's male colleagues decided to put an end to their new competitor. Believing her to be a man, of course, they hauled her into court on charges of lasciviously seducing her patients. In her defense, Agnodice proclaimed to the packed courtroom that she was neither a man, nor lascivious, but was simply a woman physician serving women.

The seduction charges were dismissed, but the court immediately condemned Agnodice to death for practicing a profession forbidden to females. At this, the women of Athens, including the wives of several court officials, rose up in protest. Agnodice was ultimately freed, and the law was changed to allow women to practice medicine (though they were strictly limited to treating other women).

©2007 Gayle Goldwin. Excerpted from WomanSpirit Oracles: Wisdom of the Ancients, Solutions for Today, a modern-day divinatory tool of Feminine Empowerment. The set includes a complete oracle card deck and wisdom book of clear delineations, guided meditations, empowering mantras, inspiring messages channeled from Ascended Feminine Masters and triumphal stories of history's most compelling women. Viewers can get a FREE online Oracle Card reading, FREE Oracle eCards or read other excerpts and channeled Messages at http://www.WomanSpiritOracles.com. Permission is granted to any site or individual to reproduce this article online provided the preceding link and this copyright notice is included in such reproduction.