Born: 15 August 1859, Japan
Died: 2 September 1941
Country most active:
Also known as: 岡見 京, Okami Kei
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Kei Okami (岡見 京, Okami Kei) was the first Japanese woman to earn a Western medicine degree from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in the USA.
After returning to Japan, she worked at Jikei Hospital but had to leave because Emperor Meiji refused her care due to her gender. Undeterred, she opened her own clinic, specializing in gynecology and tuberculosis treatment.
Later, she became the vice-principal of Shoei Girls’ School, founded by her brother-in-law. In 1897, she partnered with a friend to open a women’s hospital and nursing school, which closed after nine years due to a limited patient base. She retired due to breast cancer.
A devout Christian, Kei Okami was active in missionary work in Japan and taught anatomy to nurses in a large hospital.