Dr. Marie Thomas: Google honors first Indonesian woman physician on 125th birthday

Google today celebrates the 125^th birthday of Dr. Marie Thomas with a beautiful doodle. She was the first Indonesian woman to become a physician. She created history by becoming Indonesia’s first female specialist in gynecology and obstetrics.

Marie Thomas was born on February 17, 1896 in Likupang in North Sulawesi. Her father was in military. That was the reason why his family needed to frequently move to different locations in Indonesia. Thus, Marie Thomas attended various schools from Sulawesi to Java.

Marie Thomas completed her studies at STOVIA in 1922 and was acknowledged as the first female graduate of STOVIA. Initially, STOVIA did not accept women, but the policy changed due in part to the efforts of Aletta Jacobs (the first female physician in the Netherlands).

Then Marie Thomas began her medical practice at the main hospital in Batavia (now Jakarta) called Centrale Burgerlijke Ziekeninrichting (CBZ) (now Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital). She would work in Medan, Manado, and back to Batavia at Budi Kemuliaan Hospital, a hospital established by the SOVIA foundation.

Marie Thomas later moved to Padang after marrying Mohammad Joesoef (who was also a physician), where she continued her trailblazing career as one of the first doctors to introduce new methods of contraception, such as the intrauterine devices, to women across the archipelago. They returned to Batavia after a few years in Padang. In Batavia, Thomas became involved with the Minahasa Unity party (Persatuan Minahasa) whose members included Sam Ratulangi.

In 1950, Dr. Marie Thomas founded a midwifery school in Bukittinggi, which was the first in Sumatra and the second in Indonesia. She died on October 10, 1966 at the age of 70. Google honors her on her 125^th birthday for her selfless dedication to the lives of others, which further paved the way for Indonesian women to pursue medicine and higher education.

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