Maria Montessori was the first woman in Italy to become a physician.
After completing medical school in 1896, Dr. Montessori was assigned the task of caring for the inmates of the insane asylum in Rome. Housed in this asylum were children who were considered unteachable, unreachable. While caring for their physical needs, Montessori realized that these children needed more than just basic care; they needed an environment and a teaching style that would meet these needs. After five years of working with Dr. Montessori, the children in the insane asylum in Rome were formally tested. The test scores were the same as or higher than the scores of the school children in Rome
