Cecilia Grierson was born on November 22, 1869, in Buenos Aires and died in the same city on April 10, 1934. She is remembered as the first Argentine woman to earn a medical degree. Grierson entered university in 1883 and graduated from the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) on July 2, 1889.
Grierson and her academic training
Grierson’s first training was in education, where she qualified as a schoolteacher. She worked primarily in teaching until the death of her best friend led her to study medicine. During her medical studies, she served as an assistant and practitioner. The cholera outbreak that struck Buenos Aires during her training gave her the opportunity to provide medical services as a student and strengthened her belief in encouraging other women to enter the field of health.
She specialized in obstetrics and kinesiology, and although she was authorized to work as a surgeon, she never practiced in that role. Grierson was also a pioneer in first aid and played a central role in establishing institutions linked to medicine in Argentina. Despite her efforts, she was not permitted to hold a university teaching position at the time, solely because she was a woman.
Grierson’s legacy of institutions
Driven by her interest in both medicine and teaching, Grierson founded the School of Nurses, which she also directed. She was among the founding members of the Argentine Medical Association, an institution that still unites physicians nationwide. Within this framework, she also created the Argentine Society of First Aid, which expanded services into various institutions and neighborhoods through the opening of first aid centers.
Additionally, she established the National Obstetric Association of Midwives and the Revista Obstétrica, a specialized medical journal.
The role of women in medicine
At a time when medicine was dominated by men, Grierson’s achievements represented a major step forward for women in science and healthcare. She co-founded the Association of University Women and presided over the First International Feminist Congress of Argentina. She also founded the National Women’s Council in Argentina, where issues such as education, healthcare, and women’s labor rights were debated.
Beyond her institutional work, Grierson wrote several books on first aid, nursing, and medical care, while also publishing on education and related topics. She pioneered methods in the care and treatment of children with disabilities, including the deaf, blind, and mute.
Her career was marked by obstacles—she was prevented from working as a surgeon or university professor—but she nevertheless expanded the reach of her medical knowledge, especially through her integration of teaching with health care. She ensured that her expertise reached not only academic circles but also poorer neighborhoods and communities.
A pioneer remembered
Cecilia Grierson remains recognized as a pioneer in the teaching and practice of first aid in Argentina, as well as in advancing the role of women in science and medicine. Through persistence and dedication, she became the first woman in Argentina to earn a medical doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires, breaking through barriers in a field long dominated by men. Her legacy endures in the institutions she founded and in the broader recognition of women’s place in medicine and education.
