Described as the first woman to author a complete medical treatise

On 27 September 2023, the Spanish popular‑science magazine Muy Interesante published a feature article portraying Metrodora as, so far as current evidence shows, the first woman to author a complete medical treatise. The article drew on the Byzantine manuscript in the Laurentian Library that attributes the work On the Diseases and Cures of Women to her.

By framing Metrodora’s treatise as the earliest known complete medical book written by a woman, the piece crystallized a key aspect of her historical significance for general audiences: not that she was the first woman physician in absolute terms, but that her name is attached to a substantial, coherent technical text on women’s health. The article discussed the alphabetically organized chapters and the focus on gynecological conditions, situating her work within the broader tradition of ancient medicine.

This characterization marks a milestone in the public reception of Metrodora. It reinforces an important but nuanced “first”: the earliest surviving, relatively complete medical treatise credibly attributed to a woman author. In an era of renewed interest in female pioneers in science and medicine, Muy Interesante’s feature helped popularize Metrodora’s story in the Spanish‑speaking world and beyond, encouraging readers to reconsider the gendered assumptions underlying the history of medical knowledge.