Dr

Born

1865
New South Wales, Australia

Died

22 August 1900
Sydney, New South Wales

Occupation

Doctor

Summary

Dr Dagmar Berne was the first woman to study medicine in Australia. She gained entry to Sydney University in 1885, but was failed repeatedly by male lecturers who did not wish to see her graduate. In exasperation, she moved to London to continue her studies. Berne finally qualified as a doctor in 1893 and returned to Sydney two years later, setting up a practice in Macquarie Street. The London years took their toll on Berne, who had been forced to live in damp accommodation, subsisting on very little food. She died of tuberculosis in 1900, her thirty-fifth year.