Trotula

Who is Trotula?

Trotula of Salerno was a female physician, alleged to have been the first female professor of medicine, teaching in the southern Italian port of Salerno, which was at that time the most important center of medical learning in Europe. Several writings about women’s health have been attributed to her, including Diseases of Women, Treatments for Women, and Women's Cosmetics. In medieval Europe, these texts were a major source for information on women’s health. Some scholars have challenged whether or not Trotula actually wrote these works.

Much conjecture between historians can be found regarding the life of the “Trotula” figure. Some believe that the works were actually written by a man and not a woman. On the other hand, there are several theories that support her existence and/or that she was in fact a woman.

Trotula's expertise can be found in other works as well. She was one of seven Salerno physicians who contributed to an encyclopedia of medical knowledge, On the Treatment of Illnesses. Her additions to this work show her knowledge in the fields of gastrointestinal disorders and ophthalmology. Her practices can also be found in Practical Medicine According to Trota, which covers seventy-one different remedies for various conditions. The commonalities in these two works attests to the common authorship