Mary Putnam Jacobi, MD

(1842–1906) American physician, writer, and suffragist, Dr. Mary Jacobi was considered to have been the foremost woman doctor of her era. She was the first female graduate of the NY College of Pharmacy in 1863.

Mary was an esteemed medical practitioner and teacher, a harsh critic of the exclusion of women from these professions, who frequently disputed medical claims that women should not vote, attend college, or work due to mental and physical deficiencies, and a social reformer dedicated to the expansion of educational opportunities for women. She was also a well-respected scientist, supporting her arguments for the rights of women with the scientific proofs of her time.