"Phanostrate was a highly respected maia in a society that prized and depended on abundant fertility and successful childbearing. Midwifery was a motherly profession, described with a mothering word; as well as "midwife" and "nurse," maia meant "good mother" and "foster mother." Phanostrate was also an iaotros, a person trained in the theory and practice of medicine, who knew how to treat and cure."
"As a maia, she supported women while they were pregnant, guided them through labor, and cared for them and their newborns as they recovered after birth. As an iaotros, she also diagnosed and treated the illnesses and health conditions women experienced throughout their lives."
""Maia [midwife] and iaotros [doctor] Phanostrate lies here," the inscription reads. "She caused pain to no one and having died, is missed by all." To become an iaotros, she gained the expertise and knowledge that was typically available only to male physicians. Other women practiced medicine during the classical era, but Phanostrate is the first known and named female iaotros."
Phanostrate was a highly respected maia and iaotros in ancient Athens during the fifth century BCE. Her funerary monument depicts her with clients and children, commemorating her life's work in childbirth and healthcare. The inscription praises her for causing no pain and being universally missed. As a maia, the term meaning "good mother" and "midwife," she supported pregnant women, guided them through labor, and cared for postpartum recovery. As an iaotros, a trained physician, she diagnosed and treated illnesses throughout women's lives. Phanostrate was the first known named female iaotros, gaining medical expertise typically reserved for men in a society that valued fertility and successful childbearing.
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