Anandi Gopal Joshi was the first woman from India who successfully finished medicine school. She had a degree in the United States in western medicine. Her original name was the Yamuna, she comes from Kalyan where she also got married at a young age. Her husband was great support for her with studying the medicine.

After a Royal Wilder, an American missionary read a letter about her, they posted it in Princeton’s Missionary Review. In 1883, notwithstanding her poor health, Anandi managed to go in the United States to study. She got her two-year medical degree at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Notable Facts About Anandi

It was unusual for a woman at that time in India to actually go to school at all, but Anandi Gopal Joshi managed to go even further, and get a degree in medicine, in the United States. The fact that she was only 18 years old is even more impressive.

Anandi Gopal Joshi, First Indian Female Doctor

source: pri.org

Her interest in medicine started when she was 14, the reason for that is a loss of her baby, due to a lack of healthcare. Her husband was one of the fewer people who supported her since the Hindu community at that time were extremely orthodox.

Her achievement was a piece of worldwide news, and even Queen Victoria got that information. She sends a complimentary letter in response to Anandi. Her biggest dream was to open a medical school for women in India, but unfortunately, she died of tuberculosis in 1887, she was only 21 when she died. In 1997, for a 100-year anniversary, the International Astronomical Union gave a name to one of the craters on Venus after her.