Kurdish woman among first female Physicians, graduating in 19th century

PENNSYLVANIA, United States - While women were not allowed to get an education in many countries, a Kurdish woman named Dr. Sabat Islambouli in 1890 got a medical degree from the first women’s college of medicine in the US and became one of the first female doctors around the world. 

Detailed information about those women, including Dr. Sabat, who studied medicine during the 19^th century, is archived at the Legacy Center and Special Collections of the college that grants medical degrees, Among the graduates were people from Middle Eastern Countries.

The archived information and documents include a copy of their degrees, photographs, and personal details.

All those who studied at the university have personal portfolios, containing all information related to them, among them is Dr. Sabat’s profile who moved to the US in 1885 to pursue a degree in medicine.

"The information that we have is just material that was recorded when she was here at the school. So, it includes the photograph included the two other women, which was taken at the dean’s party,” Matt Herbison, archivist at the Legacy Center and Special Collections at Drexel University told Rudaw on May 12.

There is a confusion around Dr. Sabat's name, which is referenced differently in documents and photographs. Her name is written as Tabat Islambooly, Tabat Istanbuli, Sabat or Thabat. 

In the past, each student at this college had to pay $130 (equivalent to over $3000 now) as tuition fees for each year during their four year course. But Dr. Sabat had been granted a scholarship, receiving $35 (equivalent to $1000 now) for every year during the study program, Herbison said.

According to the documents and information available, Dr. Sabat finished college in five years instead of four. She began her studies in 1885 and graduated in 1890. It is unclear as to why she had skipped a college year.

“It appears of the first year that she was at the school was 1885 and 1886 school year, and when we looked at the list of students of the next school year, she is not on that list for some reasons. I don’t think we had a record indicate why she took a year off,” Herbison noted.

“She came back the next year which was 1887, and for the three years from 1887 to when she graduated in 1890, she was a student,’’ the archivist added.

Dr. Sabat received a diploma in medicines, making way for her to embark on her professional career as a physician. She was seen as one of the early female physicians in history who held a diploma in medicine. 

In the first year of college, students had taken classes in Chemistry, Anatomy, Psychology, and Medical Substances to make medication, General Treatment, and Pharmacy. Practical lessons were also taught in designated laboratories. Modules and course studies at this college had also heavily focused on women's health.

“There would have been labs throughout, each year there would be lab component. If you look at the annual announcement that we talked about a couple times, you can see what their actual daily schedule was, you could see on Wednesday afternoon, they will learning about this in the lab, on Saturday morning they will learning about that,’’ Herbison stated.

Details on Dr. Sabat’s year of birth are not clear. However, it is known that she hailed from a Jewish Kurdish family who lived in Damascus and later moved to Pennsylvania, according to remarks from the archivist. 

According to Herbison, those who were student at this college had either been sent by their own countries to continue their undergraduate studies here, or they had applied through relatives or friends.

Dr. Sabat made her way back to Damascus after her graduation and continued her professional career there, Najeeb Jarrar, head of consumer marketing in Google Middle East and North Africa told Rudaw.

Officials from the college say they have had little information about Dr. Sabat ever since she had departed the US, once and for all.

The archivist Herbison said they lost track of her in 1929.

Jarrar, who had researched Dr. Sabat’s life, said the physician later moved to Cairo after staying in Damascus for an unknown period of time to continue her work in the medical field, he said. She is said to have died in 1941, with her descendants living in Canada now.

The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, where Dr. Sabat obtained her degree from, was founded in 1850 and was the first college in the world established to train women to receive a degree in medicine. The college was later absorbed by the Drexel University college of Medicine.