Read about the graduate of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, a predecessor to the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, in the latest issue of “CATALYST” magazine.
One-hundred fifty years ago, Emilie Foeking made the crowning achievement of her academic career: She became the first woman to graduate from a University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) school.
Foeking (sometimes spelled Focking) graduated from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery (BCDS), a predecessor to the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD), in 1873 with her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree; her graduation also marked the first time a woman had graduated from any medical or dental school in Baltimore.
Foeking was born Dec. 1, 1837, at Georgenthal, the estate of her father, Georg Foeking, near Dirschau in Danzig, Prussia, and was one of 12 children. Her sister, Therese Foeking, was a well-known kindergarten teacher and children’s book author.
When Emilie Foeking sought a dental education in Prussia and Germany, she was denied admittance, because women were not permitted to study in the country’s medical or dental schools. Therefore, Foeking pursued a degree in the United States where fellow countrywoman Henriette Hirschfield had just obtained a dental degree at the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in 1869. Hirschfield was the first German woman to graduate with a dental degree in the United States. Unfortunately, when Foeking applied to the Pennsylvania school, she was turned away because the male students at the school vehemently protested woman students as distractions and unfit for dental education.
Dr. James Truman, then dean of the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery, contacted BCDS Dean Ferdinand J.S. Gorgas asking for his consideration of Foeking. She was admitted to the school and graduated Feb. 27, 1873.
Read more about Foeking in the spring issue of CATALYST magazine.
You can read the Spring 2023 issue of CATALYST magazine, which highlights the work of the University's women deans; the School of Medicine’s research to fight malaria; the School of Nursing’s partnership with Enoch Pratt Library to offer health care; the Graduate School’s new MS in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership; UMB’s sustainability efforts to install beehives; and much, much more!