Agnes of Huntingdonshire (fl. 13th c.)

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Agnes of Huntingdonshire (fl. 13th c.)

English doctor.

Agnes of Huntingdonshire was one of numerous medieval women doctors. Unfortunately, all we know about her life is that she was well-respected for her healing abilities in Huntingdonshire, England, and that she practiced medicine without university training—a privilege denied most medieval women. Given the often nonsensical theories taught to male medical students, a lack of university education could be an advantage for a woman practicing healing (usually illegally), as she would rely more on empirical than theoretical knowledge; it has been argued that this could have made women doctors of the day better healers than their formally trained male counterparts.

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Agnes of Huntingdonshire (fl. 13th c.)

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