The first woman known to have been formally trained as a credentialed doctor was Dorothea Erxleben, who earned her M.D. in Germany, 1754.

The medical school was obliged to admit her because of a letter from the local ruler.

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Henriette Faber studied medicine at Paris in male disguise, served as army surgeon under Napoleon, survived his disastrous invasion of Russia, and then practiced medicine in Cuba.

The Swiss doctor married a woman in Havana, who later filed for annulment, resulting in Faber’s jailing with a ten-year sentence for “false representation.” She got this term reduced by going into exile (and probably paying a bribe as well.)

Henriette Faber sailed for New Orleans, where she became a nun, and eventually a Mother Superior.

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Marie Durocher got her M.D. at Rio de Janeiro, 1834. She practiced as an obstetrician and surgeon, and wore men’s clothing: a coat, tie, and hat.

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Mary Walker earned an M.D. in 1855 at Syracuse, New York. She married another doctor, spurning the vow of obedience, and dressed in a coat and tails.

Dr. Walker was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for her service as an army surgeon in the Civil War. She spoke out for women’s rights and faced ridicule for wearing men’s clothing later in her career. Congress revoked her Medal of Honor—but she refused to return it.

Some things just never change. The photo that the government chose for a stamp commemorating Dr. Mary Walker shows her bedecked in sausage curls and lace—not the men’s clothing she wore throughout her career.