Agnodice was an astonishing girl,
She trained as a doctor in a masculine world,
In order to be one she pretended to be male,
So she could treat any starting to fall sick or ail.
She was a physician in 4th Century BC, a difficult time,
When being a female physician was a capital crime.
In order to reassure a patient she revealed her real sex one day,
And the male physicians in Athens were set on making her pay,
They thought she was seducing female patients but,
They simply felt she was better, the case was clear cut.
They took her to court and when they found her female and skilled,
They all tried their hardest to get Agnodice killed.
Her female patients all leapt to her staunch defence,
Ensuring female physicians no longer had to so by pretence.