2 notable women in ancient China broke barriers, made major contributions to medicine, science

In ancient China, women were largely denied formal education and confined to the roles of dutiful wives and mothers.Against this restrictive social order, two women pushed beyond the limits and left notable marks on medicine, astronomy and mathematics.About 1,500 years ago, during the Southern dynasties, Zhang Xiugu is believed to have made an early contribution to pathological anatomy in China.According to The History of the Southern dynasties, Zhang lived in what is now Anhui province in central China. She and her husband, Tang Ci, were known locally for their medical skills.The daughter of a folk doctor, Zhang grew up reading medical texts and learning the principles of healing.A painting of Zhang Xiugu, above, who made an early contribution to pathological anatomy in China. Photo: HandoutLiving amid war, disease and poverty, she developed a strong interest in medicine and later married Tang, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctor who had gained attention for saving a dying village boy with acupuncture and herbal remedies.In the year 450, war in the region was followed by a disease outbreak. Historical accounts describe patients who initially appeared healthy, but later developed severe symptoms, including vomiting wormlike matter before death.Tang later showed similar symptoms: abdominal pain, coughing and vomiting small worms. Before he died, he urged Zhang to examine his body to help identify the cause of the illness.With the support of their son, Zhang dissected her husband’s body after his death.The above painting depicts a doctor at work in ancient China. Photo: HandoutShe observed damage to several internal organs, including the lungs and liver. Some modern scholars suggest his death may have involved a condition similar to acute peritonitis or inflammation of the stomach lining.Zhang recorded her findings by drawing the body’s internal structures and labelling the organs and signs of disease.These records are regarded as early material related to the study of human pathology in China.Her decision carried severe consequences.Further ReadingIn ancient China, dissection was viewed as a serious violation of traditional ethics, which held that the body was a gift from one’s parents and should not be damaged.The taboo was even stronger because Zhang was a woman who had cut open her husband’s body.A local wealthy man reported Zhang and her son to the authorities, accusing them of breaching moral and legal norms.The above image is a western interpretation of the pioneering Wang Zhenyi. Photo: HandoutHistorical records differ on the length of Zhang’s sentence, but she was reportedly imprisoned for between five and nine years for “failing to observe women’s duties”.Her son, who had supported her decision, was sentenced to death for “unfilial conduct”.Another pioneering woman, Wang Zhenyi, lived during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912).Born into a scholarly family in Nanjing, Wang was exposed to learning from childhood.Her grandfather studied astronomy and mathematics, while her father was skilled in medicine. She also learned horse riding, archery and poetry.Denied formal schooling because she was a girl, Wang educated herself.In mathematics, she combined Chinese and Western methods, writing works including An Explanation of the Pythagorean Triangle and Easy Understanding of Counting-Rod Calculations.Curious about why the moon reflected sunlight, Wang once used a mirror and a lantern to test her ideas, an experiment that helped her explain the cause of lunar eclipses.At 20, she wrote An Explanation of Lunar Eclipses, regarded as one of the earliest accurate explanations of the phenomenon.She also studied the night sky, tracked planetary movements and wrote a work examining the direction of planetary rotation.But her interest in astronomy was politically sensitive. In ancient China, private study of the heavens was restricted because celestial events were believed to be linked to the fate of the state.A striking black and white painting of Wang Zhenyi who lived during the Qing dynasty. Photo: HandoutHer independence drew attacks from conservative scholars, who accused her of being a woman seeking fame beyond her proper place.Wang answered in verse, writing that after travelling widely and reading extensively, she had long aspired to rival the ambitions of men.She died of an illness at 29 and left no children. Her writings contained several scientific essays, but circulated only narrowly because of the gender bias and social constraints of her time.But Wang’s prolific life was rediscovered in the modern era.Nature recognised her as one of the women who helped lay the foundations of science, and the International Astronomical Union named a crater on Venus after her