[The woman in neurosurgery at the national institute of neurology and neurosurgery].

Women have always had a hard time in the history of medicine; Dr. Isabel Blackwell was the first woman in history to practice medicine. Dr. Diana Beck became the world´s first female neurosurgeon. The first Latin American female neurosurgeon was Dr. María Cristina García Sancho y Álvarez-Tostado. All of these women had to face a large number of social, cultural, and economic obstacles in their path; however, this situation has changed gradually. Dr. Ana Lilia Siordia Karam was the first neurosurgeon to graduate from INNN. Nineteen years later the second female neurosurgeon at this institute was Dr. María Petra Herrera Guerrero. During their time at this institute they endured a lot of difficulties, especially with most of their coworkers; however, some coworkers treated them with respect and no gender distinction. Nowadays, four of the 25 total neurosurgery residents at INNN are women, and even though some of them have had to endure acts of gender discrimination, the general situation has changed. With work and respect, women have managed to have a larger role in the surgical field. We hope that in the near future a gender discrimination-free environment will be achieved in medicine and its specialties.