318-272 B.C.

Greek female medical lecturer. It was said that Philista was so beautiful she had to speak from behind a curtain—a story also told regarding a scholar about whom much more is known, Hypatia of Alexandria (370-415). It is possible that Philista, like her alleged contemporary Agnodice, was a legendary figure; even so, these legends illustrate the fact that a few women were attempting to find a place within the male-dominated world of Hellenic medicine.