First woman to win Harvard’s Boylston Prize for Medical Writing.
In 1876, Mary Putnam Jacobi made history by being the first woman to win the Boylston Prize from Harvard University for her medical essay "The Question of Rest for Women during Menstruation." Her work challenged existing medical norms, arguing against the prevailing belief that women required rest during menstruation. This accomplishment was not only a personal triumph but also a societal breakthrough, affirming women's competence in contributing to medical knowledge.