New University Library honours ‘forgotten’ women of the former hospital with room names
Nine meeting rooms in the new University Library – once the Binnengasthuis Hospital – have been named after pioneering women in medical science. The project aims to bring these ‘forgotten’ women out of the shadows.
Douwine Norel (1909–2000) was the first registered female surgeon in the Netherlands. From now on, her name also appears on the doorplate of one of the new rooms in the University Library.
Female pioneers in science have historically often been overlooked: that is the idea behind the UvA’s decision to name nine rooms in the University Library after women. The fact that these rooms are spread across the floors of Wing D is no coincidence. In the days of the old hospital, the nurses lived here. In this way, the former nurses’ home creates a bridge between the room names and the history of healthcare.
Anna Reynvaan (1844–1920)
As deputy director of the Buiten Gasthuis, she spent years – successfully – fighting for the professionalisation and modernisation of nursing.
Catharine van Tussenbroek (1852–1925)
Van Tussenbroek was – after Aletta Jacobs – the second female doctor in the Netherlands.
Charlotte Ruys (1898–1977)
The bacteriologist earned her PhD in 1925 with research on the causes of the plague.
Cornelia de Lange (1871–1950)
De Lange was the first female professor in the Netherlands (specialising in paediatrics).
Douwine Norel (1909–2000)
Norel was the first registered female surgeon in the Netherlands.
Heleen Brouwer-Robert (1887–1979)
She was the first female member of the Dutch Association for Surgery.
Pietje Petronella Slaterus (1873–1945)
In 1902 she became the first female doctor to be employed at the Binnen Gasthuis.
Rosalie Wijnberg (1887–1973)
Wijnberg was one of the first female surgeons in the Netherlands.
Sophie Redmond (1907–1955)
Redmond was the first female doctor of colour in Suriname.
Female pioneers
Wing D consists of rooms for UvA staff and a number of study spaces. Although the named rooms are in principle used only by staff, some students do get to see one from the inside: the Ruys Room occasionally hosts seminars. Charlotte Ruys, after whom the room is named, obtained her doctorate in 1925 with research on the causes of the plague.
Charlotte Ruys earned her place on the nameplates of the rooms – just like the other eight women – not by chance. To make an initial selection of potential candidates, thorough literature research was carried out. This focused on the first female medical students, the first female PhD candidates at medical faculties, and the first graduated female doctors and surgeons in the Netherlands. The nine most striking pioneers ultimately made the list.
Exhibition
The room names function not only as a tribute, but also form part of an art project by the UvA. The walls of the nine meeting rooms are covered with photographs of the ‘forgotten’ women and their work. Around them are quotations from their research or short explanations of who they were.
To see the actual exhibition, you have to go to the ground floor of Wing D. On the left-hand wall, the names of all nine pioneers are displayed. A passage underneath summarises why they were chosen: ‘They not only paved the way for future generations of women in medical studies and professions, but also fought for women’s rights and their position in society more generally.’
It is unusual for the rooms in the former nurses’ home to be named after people. In the rest of the University Library, only teaching rooms are given names, including the P.C. Hooft Room and the Spinoza Room. The eleven hundred study spaces in the UB must – for practical reasons – make do with just a number.
The collages in the rooms – compiled by Tariq Heijboer (images) and Jilke Golbach (text) – consist of photographs, quotations and material from the UB collection.
