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Photo: NBA KAROLINA ESKELIN first woman to defend a doctoral degree in Finland 1867-1936 The first woman to defend a doctoral degree in Finland was Karolina Eskelin in 1895. After Rosina Heikel, it took ten years before the next women entered the Faculty of Medicine. Two friends, Karolina Eskelin and Ina Rosqvist, completed the degree of Bachelor of Medicine in 1891. They both made impressive careers as doctors, researchers and health educators. Karolina Eskelin went on to complete a doctorate in the field of medicine and surgery, on intestinal obstruction. After her doctorate, Eskelin pursued a career in practical medicine and published only a few scientific articles. For some years she worked as a junior physician at the Department of Surgery of the University of Helsinki, and from 1900 to 1903 she ran a private hospital in Tampere. Eskelin developed her professional skills on study trips abroad; in 1904-1905 and in 1912 she practised medicine in the United States among ex-patriate Finns. After her return to Finland, she tended a surgical practice in the district of Kallio in Helsinki and specialised in gynaecological surgery. Besides practical medicine and research, Karolina Eskelin was interested in health education. She wrote numerous popular books, pamphlets and articles on, for example, the significance of hygiene in preventive medicine. The medical manual edited by Eskelin was reprinted ten times. She also wrote a gynaecology textbook for nurses. In her free time, Karolina Eskelin was an avid motorist and was among the first women in Finland to obtain a driving licence in the early 1920s. 1 2 3 4 1 Karolina Eskelin in the 1890s. Photo: National Board of Antiquities. 2 Karolina Eskelin at her own clinic. Photo: NBA. 3 Drawing of a fetus from a guide book by Eskelin. 4 Karolina Eskelin driving her brand new Opel in 1913. Photo: NBA