“All educated at the Women’s Medical College in Pennsylvania. Anandibai was married at 9, became a mother at 14 & sadly passed away at the age of 22! But her life clearly is evidence of how a single individual can leave a strong footprint behind on the planet, despite incredible social constraints & a breathtakingly brief lifespan! Nothing is impossible,” Mahindra said in the post.
In the year 1886, Anandi Gopal Joshi obtained a degree in Western medicine after graduating from Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia, USA and thus became the first Indian to study medicine abroad. She joined the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1883 at the age of 19 and graduated as a Doctor of Medicine on 11 March 1886. Her thesis was on ‘Obstetrics among the Aryan Hindus’,
wherein she used influences from both Ayurvedic and American medical textbooks.
The Marathi biographical film Anandi Gopal, which was directed by Sameer Vidwans, had won National Film Award in 2019 for best feature film on social issues. The film follows the life of India’s first female doctor Anandi Gopal her husband Gopalrao Joshi who encouraged her to study medicine. She went on to study at the Woman’s Medical College, Pennsylvania in the late 19th century and graduated with an MD in 1886. Bhagyashree Milind plays Anandi Gopal and Lalit Prabhakar essayed the role of her husband. The film also bagged award for the Best Production Design.
At the age of 17, Joshi, facing health challenges and societal criticism, went to study medicine. Becoming a mother at 14, she tragically lost her infant due to a lack of medical care, motivating her to study medicine. After her return to India, she was appointed as the physician-in-charge of the female ward of the local Albert Edward Hospital by the princely state of Kolhapur. But her happiness was short-lived. While in the US, she contracted tuberculosis due to the harsh weather and change in diet. She passed away on at the age of 22.
