The latest Google Doodle celebrates the 153rd birthday of Anandi Gopal Joshi, India’s first female doctor.
Born at a time when most women in her country did not receive an education, she set sail for America at the age of 18 to study medicine.
She graduated from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1885, becoming the first Indian women to obtain a degree in western medicine.
Although she died young, her determination to challenge gender stereotypes and cultural customs blazed a trail for generations to come.
Here are five things you should know about the pioneering medic.
She was motivated to study medicine by her baby’s death
Joshi was married at the age of just nine, as was common in 19th century India, to a man 20 years older than her.
She gave birth to their first child when she was 14, but her baby son died 10 days later due to a lack of medical care for women. This spurred Joshi to pursue an interest in medicine so she could “help the many who cannot help themselves”, as she later put it in her college application.
Her husband Gopalrao Joshi, a postal clerk, encouraged her ambition and helped to teach her to read and write.
She defied cultural expectations and ill health to qualify as a doctor
While she was supported by her husband, Joshi’s ambitions were condemned by the orthodox Hindu community, who threatened her with excommunication.
Despite that, she travelled to New York in 1883, chaperoned by two English acquaintances of a doctor friend. After arriving in America, she wrote to the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania to ask for a place on their medical programme, one of the first in the world that accepted women. In her application she admitted her credentials may fall below the college’s usual requirements but pleaded for them to make an exception “to render to my poor suffering country women the true medical aid they so sadly stand in need”.
She was awarded a place, and studied her two-year diploma alongside two of the first female medical students from Japan and Syria. Despite suffering ill health throughout her studies, she graduated on 11 March, 1885.
She was congratulated by Queen Victoria
After Joshi was awarded her degree in medicine, the college’s dean wrote of her achievement to Queen Victoria, who was also Empress of India. Victoria reportedly wrote a congratulatory message in response. Joshi received a grand welcome upon her return to India, where the editor of the Kesari newspaper hailed her as ”one of the greatest women of our modern era”.
Her life was tragically cut short
Returning to India in 1886, Joshi was appointed the physician in charge of the women’s ward at Albert Edward Hospital in Kolhapur. She dreamed of opening a medical college for women, but was an ambition she never got to realise. She died of tuberculosis on 26 February, 1887, before she had even begun practising medicine. She was just 21.
There is a crater in Venus named after her
Joshi is one of a number of notable women who have lent their names to sizeable impact craters on Venus. The 34km diameter crater “Joshee” lies at latitude 5.5° N and longitude 288.8° E. It was named in 1997 by the International Astronomical Union.
Today’s Google Doodle marks the 153rd birthday of Anandi Gopal Joshi, and has been designed by Bengaluru-based artist Kashmira Sarode. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) Today’s Google Doodle marks the 153rd birthday of Anandi Gopal Joshi, and has been designed by Bengaluru-based artist Kashmira Sarode. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Google celebrated the 153rd birth anniversary of Anandi Gopal Joshi, India’s first female doctor, on Saturday. Joshi was born on this day in Maharashtra in 1865. In the doodle, she is seen holding a degree and wearing a stethoscope around her neck. This comes around five months after the Google Doodle team honoured Rukhmabai Raut, hailed as one of the first female practising doctors in British India.
According to her bio, Joshi came back to India in 1886 with a doctor’s degree at the inspiring young age of just 19 years. Joshi’s life story — as short as it was — was one of courage and perseverance. Born as Yamuna in Maharashtra, she was married at the age of nine to a widower, Gopalrao Joshi, 20 years her senior, who named her Anandi. A progressive thinker, Gopalrao encouraged his young wife to study.
Read | How Anandi Joshi obtained a degree in Western medicine from Pennsylvania college
At the age of 14, Anandi Joshi gave birth to a boy, but he soon died because of lack of proper medical care. This was said to have been a turning point for the grieving mother, who developed an interest in medicine. Gopalrao encouraged her to pursue this study, and even sent her to America at 16. She earned her degree at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (now known as Drexel University College of Medicine) and returned to India with dreams of opening a medical college for women.
Unfortunately, young Joshi did not keep too well, and she died just short of 22 years due to tuberculosis on February 26, 1887. Though Joshi could not execute her dream of opening a medical college for women, she did inspire subsequent generations of girls to fight for and follow their dreams.
“Her legacy and the path she paved for generations of women continues today,” Google writes about Anandi Gopal Joshi, in its blog. “Her legacy and the path she paved for generations of women continues today,” Google writes about Anandi Gopal Joshi, in its blog.
Interestingly, there’s a crater on Venus named after her.
Read | Who is Anandi Gopal Joshi?
According to the Google Doodle brief, her tribute doodle has been designed by Bengaluru-based artist Kashmira Sarode, who has imagined Joshi celebrating her degree. Here’s a look at the design concept in-the-making:
Here are some old photos of Anandibai Joshi, as she has been popularly known.
A portrait photo of Dr Anandibai Joshi, MD, Class of 1886, Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) A portrait photo of Dr Anandibai Joshi, MD, Class of 1886, Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
A photo of Anandi Gopal Joshi with her signature on it. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) A photo of Anandi Gopal Joshi with her signature on it. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Anandibai Joshi graduated from Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMC) in 1886. Seen here with Kei Okami (center) and Tabat Islambooly (right). All three completed their medical studies and each of them was the first woman from their respective countries to obtain a degree in Western medicine. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) Anandibai Joshi graduated from Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMC) in 1886. Seen here with Kei Okami (center) and Tabat Islambooly (right). All three completed their medical studies and each of them was the first woman from their respective countries to obtain a degree in Western medicine. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Interestingly, though the doodle’s reach has been marked way beyond just India — it includes Canada, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Iceland, the UK, Croatia, Serbia, Greece, Australia and New Zealand — the United States is conspicuously missing, since that was where she earned her degree.
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The first biography of India’s first female doctor was written in 1888 by Caroline Wells Healey Dall (Source: Wikimedia Commons) The first biography of India’s first female doctor was written in 1888 by Caroline Wells Healey Dall (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Anandi Gopal Joshi is India’s first female doctor and secured a degree in medicine when she was 21 years from Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, now known as Drexel University College of Medicine. Born in an orthodox family in Maharashtra on March 31, 1865, she was married to a widower thrice her age when she was just nine. Five years later, Joshi gave birth to a boy, but he soon died due to lack of medical care.
Her husband, Gopalrao Joshi, inspired her to educate herself at a time when education to women was not given due importance. He started teaching Anandi how to read and write Marathi, English and Sanskrit. He also sent her to Calcutta so that Anandi could pursue further studies and would be away from interference by her parents.
Amid pressure from family and society, Anandi was sent to America to pursue a degree in Medicine. She fulfilled her husband’s strenuous effort and graduated from Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMC) in 1886 with Kei Okami of Japan and Tabat Islambooly of Syria. All three became the first woman from their respective countries to obtain a degree in Western medicine. She did her thesis on obstetric practices among the ancient Hindus.
Read | Google Doodle celebrates the birthday of India’s first female doctor, Anandi Gopal Joshi
Anandi’s work received praise from Kesari editor Lokmanya Tilak and even Queen Victoria sent her a congratulatory message. “I know how in the face of all the difficulties you went to a foreign country and acquired knowledge with such diligence. You are one of the greatest women of our modern era. It came to my knowledge that you need money desperately. I am a newspaper editor. I do not have a large income. Even then I wish to give you one hundred rupees.” Tilak wrote in his letter.
Read | How Anandi Joshi obtained a degree in Western medicine from Pennsylvania college
Joshi came back to India in 1886 with the dream of opening a medical college for women. She got a grand welcome and the princely state of Kolhapur appointed her as physician-in-charge of the female ward of the local Albert Edward Hospital. However, Anandi passed away at a young age of just 22 years due to tuberculosis on February 26, 1887.
The first biography of India’s first female doctor was written in 1888 by Caroline Wells Healey Dall. Doordarshan, under direction of Kamlakar Sarang, aired a Hindi serial “Anandi Gopal”, which based on Anandibai’s life. Shrikrishna Janardan Joshi wrote a Marathi novel Anandi Gopal based on her life. Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS), Lucknow, has an honorary award after her name – Anandibai Joshi award for Medicine. Interestingly, a crater on Venus is also named after her.
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