What Sabat Islambouli did in her time was extraordinary, as people used to believe that women who studied would develop hysteria. Can you imagine the courage required to emigrate and study medicine abroad?
An American doctor posted a photo dated 1985 of three women dressed in traditional costumes representing their countries on her blog. They gained attention after it was revealed. Those women were among the first female doctors in the world. One of them is the Syrian doctor “Sabat Islambouli”.
Sabat Islambouli was born in Damascus in 1867. She was Jewish of Kurdish origins, and many disagreed on the pronunciation of her name. One could pronounce it “Thabat” or “Tabat”. And a similar disagreement accompanied her last name, as it could be “Istanbul” or “Islambouli”.
Islambouli studied at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, USA. Many people know that this college was the first in the world to train women in treating various gynecological diseases. Moreover, she obtained her medical degree in 1980. We believe that it is one of the first, if not the first, Syrian women to obtain a medical degree.¹
Despite having been a successful woman who struggled and risked her life to achieve her dream, she is historically unknown. And not much has been documented about her life. There is no information about her background, upbringing, or her journey to the United States of America. All we know about her is that she belonged to a wealthy family. She was known to wear a silk kaftan and adorn it with jewelry.²
We do not know much about Sabat’s life. Since all the information we know about her is limited to what the university wrote in her university record and alumni book. However, it was evident that she struggled and suffered a lot to get to the United States of America to study medicine.
The practice of medicine- back then- was restricted to men, even with regard to gynecological diseases. People used to believe that women who studied were susceptible to developing neurological diseases, uterine diseases, and hysteria. It was also believed that two systems cannot function together properly in a female. Therefore, one should not occupy herself mentally in order to preserve the health of her reproductive system. Also, it is safe to say that Sabat Islambouli was a bold and ambitious woman. Who faced many difficulties in order to obtain her degree.³
Papers assume that she returned to Damascus after graduating to practice her profession as a doctor. But there are no documented facts about her work as a doctor there. The practice of medicine at that time was bound to old bimaristans and doctor’s home visits.
The university website stated that she went to Cairo after working in Damascus for some time. The Egyptian Nursing Administration recorded documents of her working there as a nurse in 1919. A book issued by her college also mentioned her presence there in 1926. But any traces of her disappeared after that.²
Sabat Islambouli died in Cairo in 1941, and some of her descendants currently live in Canada. Despite the lack of information about her. She became an inspiration to many after her photo spread with two other female doctors.
The entire world was shocked by the date of the image. As people did not know that there were female doctors at that time. Sabat set an exemplary role model with her love for science, her diligence in acquiring it, and overcoming many challenges to achieve her dream.
To this day, there are still many people who are interested in Sabat Islambouli and are gathering information about her. With the aim of understanding her origins, her journey to the United States of America, and her medical practices. Hoping that we can find answers to the many questions related to this doctor.
We take pride in having a woman like her in our history. Proving that women are capable of obtaining degrees and practicing various professions. We strongly believe that Sabat Islambouli had a great impact on inspiring other women to study. She even played a role in breaking old stereotypes about women. Her achievements will continue to inspire and astound many generations to come.
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