female population

Catalina Olivo Villarreal She was the first woman to venture professionally into medicine in Nuevo León. He had to request the consent of the Executive power to carry out his studies at the School of Medicine, studying from 1927 to 1933. His professional examination was carried out in March 1935. He presented his thesis entitled "Contribution to the study of anti-diphtheria vaccination" , answered some questions on topics such as placenta previa, intrinsic innervation of the heart and surgical technique for appendicitis, then he carried out the practical test at the González Hospital and was unanimously approved.

Four years later, a doctor from the School of Medicine, Laura Canseco, who graduated in 1939; Maria de los Angeles Torres Moyeda in 1940. In 1942, five students graduated for the first time, Alicia Leal Cantú, Petra González Montemayor, Alicia Sandoval Garza, Esthela Peyrani Garza and Marina Villarreal, and from that moment on the female population was increasing.

Social service

The first records about the performance of Social Service by the students of the School of Medicine date back to the year 1939. In 1940, in coordination with the State Government, the Rural Social Medical Service, which consisted of medicine and nursing interns offering free health services to people in the countryside, who were far from the centers where medical care is provided. The benefited municipalities were: Villaldama, Zuazua, Los Ramones, Abasolo, Agualeguas, Los Herreras, Lampazos, Iturbide, Dr. Coss, General Bravo, Villa de García, Aramberri, General Treviño, Los Aldamas, Bustamante and Higueras.

In Monterrey, the first generation that had the commitment to ensure the health of the most unprotected areas of the state was called "The Group of 17". María de los Ángeles Torres Moyeda was the only woman who belonged to it, thus becoming the first woman to perform social service in the State. In one of his stories he shared the following:

It happened to me near here, in Villa de García. I was the only woman of the generation and the first to do social service. I introduced myself to the municipal authorities, “so you are the doctor”, they told me and looked at me with some doubt. I arrived in town and told them here I am, but don't think that having a doctor like me is a big deal, I'm just here to help you see what, maybe you'll teach me more.

 

I started by wearing pants below the ankles because the mosquitoes bit me so much and by teaching people how to boil water and wash food. We were not going to make money; if people wanted to give us something, it was accepted; but we didn't charge.

 

They looked me up and down, well yes, it turns out that they all wanted to be my boyfriends. I had to be nice to my patients and put on a ramrod face with the lizards. For me it was especially important to have gained the trust of the people and that they had forgotten that I was a woman and that I was young and that they had come to me.

Maria de los Angeles Torres Moyeda (1940)

Currently, the Surgeon and Midwife career has witnessed the increase in the female population, representing 56% of the students (4,011 female students), for its part, the Biologist Clinical Chemist career has a representation of 68% by the female gender (205 students). The above according to the reports of both subdirectorates at the end of 2021.