Buried Brilliance: The Pattern of Sexism in Medical History
- Gyanne L.
- Aug 15, 2025
- 5 min read
Despite being such a crucial aspect to the structure of society, women are constantly undervalued. It is appalling how the efforts of women are dismissed so very often. Throughout history, the female gender has proved time and time again, that the prejudiced bias and stereotypes built in society are nothing but unnecessary obstacles. Many find that having the same skill level and traits as a man is not as difficult as attempting to be seen as an equal of one. The term “Matilda effect”, coined by Margaret Rossite, is used to describe when a woman’s achievements are refused to be recognized or credited to men instead. According to a study done in 2022, out of 2,660 scientists, 42.95% of the women who took the survey reported that they were excluded as an author (Ross, 2022). In reference to a journal posted on Nature.com, women were statistically half as likely as men to receive recognition as a major author, or any authorship at all. Some examples of this are the experiences of Jean Purdy, Alice Ball, and Rita Levi-Montalcini; their contributions to medical research have aided us in the treatments and healthcare procedures we use today. However, because of installed sexism in society, as well as in the workplace, they are not even close to being household names or did not live to see their discoveries flourish.
Over 12 million in vitro babies have been born since its first shocking discovery in 1978. A golden trio, composed of Robert Edwards, Patrick Steptoe, and female embryologist Jean Purdy, founded Bourn Hall, a fertility clinic in 1980 after the successful conception of Louise Brown. At the age of 23, Jean was a qualified nurse who applied to be a research assistant at Cambridge University Physiological Laboratory. Despite the lack of funding, she played a key role in the development of IVF as she outlined the procedure modern doctors use today, identified embryos in different stages of their development, recorded data and statistics, and comforted the expecting parents. IVF (in vitro fertilization) was a ground-breaking solution to women who were unable to conceive due to infertility, and it provided hope and opportunities. Purdy was often overshadowed by her two colleagues, even after her death on March 16, 1985. However, Edwards and Steptoe refuse to let her legacy die as they repeatedly and publicly recognize her hard work in this innovation.
Leprosy, otherwise known as Hansen’s disease, is caused by an infectious bacterium which then disfigures your body and inflames your skin, nerves, joints, and sinuses. Before the discovery of its first treatment in 1915, leprosy was seen as a terrifying disease that isolated you from society and marked the definitive end of your life. Thanks to Alice Ball, leprosy is now an uncommon threat which can be treated in a matter of months. At the age of 23, Ball founded the revolutionary discovery whilst studying for her master’s degree at the University of Hawaii. She studied the chemical properties of oil extracted from chaulmoogra seeds, and she experimented with the idea of injecting it into the bloodstream as a way to treat leprosy. Her untimely death in 1961 was not long after she confirmed that the method was effective, and Alice did not get the chance to publish her findings. Unfortunately, being both an African American and a woman, Ball’s research and legacy was susceptible to the reoccurring pattern of sexism. Arthur L. Dean, who was a fellow chemist and president of the University of Hawaii took matters into his own hands and publicized Ball’s discovery, mass produced the treatment, and removed her name from all the published papers. It wasn’t until a physician who was acquainted with Alice criticized Dean and his deceptiveness, that her works were properly credited; and even then, many are still unaware of Alice Ball and her treatment for the previously thought incurable disease.
The marvelous Rita Levi-Montalcini received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of isolating nerve growth factor (NGF). NGF is a crucial protein that stimulates the growth of nerve cells, plays a role in growth, and is essential for the neurons in the peripheral nervous system. Her academic work was not without struggle as she had to overcome many hardships, from internal and external prejudice to a world war. Rita, a wealthy Jewish-born woman, lived in Italy with her family. However, her father initially had forbidden her from attending university, as he believed that the duties of a woman should revolve around her husband and children. She could not possibly abide by this and begged for permission to continue her education in medicine. Later, she experienced antisemitism in full force as they banned all non-Aryan citizens from laboratories shortly after she graduated. Rita combated this by building a makeshift lab inside her bedroom. There she found that when tumours from mice were extracted and transplanted into chick embryos, growth within the nervous system seemed to accelerate. From this, Rita inferred that there was a possibility or substance or another factor that nourished this growth. This discovery was a huge milestone in neurobiology, and her research was used for further understanding of neurological disorders, genetic deformities, damage to the brain, and in treating tumours.
Women in the past have helped in an abundance of medicinal and health findings. Their hard work and research have improved society’s understanding of the human body at a molecular level. Phenomenal scientists like Jean Purdy, Alice Ball, Rita Levi-Montalcini are concrete evidence of how the female gender has the capacity and more to be great. Building on their work, women in stem continue to research and find new discoveries each day. For instance, Fiona Watt, who has made remarkable findings about skin stem cells; and Pallavi Tiwari who is working on developing new technology for treating brain tumours. All these women, past and present, are truly motivational and fuel the drive for the future of clinical, therapeutic, and medical studies.
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