Giovanna Sait, first female surgical student in Florence, Italy

The article discusses the discovery of a female surgeon in Florence in 1762, whose identity was unknown before the already known and published case of the surgeon Maria Petrocini Ferretti. After a systematic search of the records of the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova, it was discovered that the young woman was named Giovanna Sait and had studied surgery in Florence before returning to Malta. She was housed in the convent of the nuns who served in the hospital and studied only in the female wards, with no contact with male colleagues. The discovery dates the presence of a female surgical student in Florence to 1762. At a time when the presence of women in medicine and surgery is increasing, it is important to remember the effort they made to achieve this goal.