De vrouw: haar bouw en haar inwendige organen (The Woman: Her Build and Internal Organs), by Aletta H. Jacobs. Deventer: Æ.E. Kluwer, 1900. [RG121 .J3 1900], John Martin Rare Book Room, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa Libraries.
From co-curator Damien Ihrig:
Aletta Jacobs was a pioneering 19th-century Dutch physician and social activist. Born in 1854 in the Netherlands, Jacobs chafed at the status quo and the limited educational opportunities for women in the Netherlands. From a young age, Jacobs was determined to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor like her father. At the time, though, women were barred from higher education. In 1871, she learned of a male student who had been granted admission to the University of Groningen based on his pharmacy diploma. She was granted approval to attend and became the first woman to enroll at Groningen. She faced many challenges, including resistance from male students and professors. Despite these obstacles, she graduated in 1879, earning her medical degree.
Jacobs was also an unwavering campaigner for the health of women and children, as well as for suffrage and international peace. She wrote many articles and books, including De Vrouw, a short book about female anatomy. She was interested in making medical information easily accessible to laypeople, especially women who wanted to know more about their own anatomy. The flaps included in De Vrouw are easy to manipulate and straightforward to use, but are densely packed with information.