In honor of International Women’s Day I celebrate the perseverance of one female physician.
“In 1965 my mother, Judith Wible, received her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Of 160 graduates, eight were female.
The dean and fellow classmates reminded the “girls” in the class that they were “taking a man’s seat” and they’d never use their degrees. Even the anatomy professor refused to accept female anatomy and persisted in addressing the women as men. Despite her protests, my mother remained “Mr. Wible.”
Women were excluded from urology—from palpating penises and prostates—while men dominated obstetrics and gynecology. Daily the women were exposed to filthy jokes that demeaned female patients, and in the evenings they slept in cramped nursing quarters while the guys had fraternities complete with maids, cooks, parties, and last year’s exams.”
Thanks mom!
We’ve come a long way . . .
Pamela Wible MD
(excerpt from Goddess Shift: Women Leading for a Change)
I think you are the best Dr. ever.
Thank you, Dr. Judith Wible and all the Mothers, who seeped through cracks like rain water, formed ice solid, then broke great stones from the inside.
International Womens Day is an important holiday in my ancestral homeland, Czech Republic, as well as many countries around the world. We need to celebrate it more in the US. The role of women in medicine has advanced greatly since my MD in 1981, and since finishing my OB/GYN residency in 1985. I’m glad that the “old boy network” is gradually dying out. In OB/GYN, the only men who will be successful are those who honor women’s wisdom and work cooperatively with their patients. The stereotypical “male gynos” will not be tolerated. Yet both men and women have masculine and feminine traits that need to be balanced. And holistic medicine aims to honor the physical, mental, emotional, environmental, social, and spiritual aspects of health to promote true wellness. That is why holistic women’s health care is my mission and passion after 30 years as an MD.
Your contributions to the concept of ideal medical practice are inspirational, and much needed to counterbalance corporate medicine. It can also lead us to universal health care coverage in the US, with a single payer system which is the only equitable way to guarantee basic health care for all. Kudos for embodying the Goddess Within! Jan