Vilma Hugonnai | |
---|---|
![]() Hugonnai, c. 1890 | |
Born | Vilma Hugonnai de Szentgyörgy 30 September 1847 Nagytétény,
Kingdom of Hungary,
Austrian Empire |
Died | 25 March 1922 | (aged 74)
Nationality | Hungarian |
Occupation | Medical doctor |
Countess Vilma Hugonnai de Szentgyörgy (30 September 1847 in Nagytétény, Hungary (today part of Budapest) – 25 March 1922 in Budapest) was the first Hungarian woman medical doctor. [1] [2]
Countess Vilma Hugonnai was the fifth child of Count Kálmán Hugonnai and Riza Pánczély. She studied Medicine in Zürich and received her degree in 1879. [3] When Vilma returned to Hungary she could not begin her career as a physician as the Hungarian administration refused to recognize her qualifications because of her gender. She worked as a midwife until 1897, when the Hungarian authorities accepted her degree and she could start her own medical practice. [3] The first woman to qualify in Hungary was Sarolta Steinberger in 1900. [4] Neither of them was allowed to practice without a male doctor's supervision until 1913. [3]
Asteroid 287693 Hugonnaivilma, discovered by Hungarian astronomers Krisztián Sárneczky and Brigitta Sipőcz at Piszkéstető Station in 2003, was named in her memory. [2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 29 August 2015 ( M.P.C. 95312). [5]