For centuries, the world of science and medicine was dominated by men. Women had little access to formal education and almost no opportunity to conduct research. Yet, true genius knows no barriers.

In the early 19th century, Margaret Ann Bulkley disguised herself as a man to enroll in medical school, living her entire life under the name James Barry. As a surgeon in the British colony of Cape Town, Barry fought epidemics, treated patients in remote villages, and performed the first recorded cesarean section in Africa—saving both mother and child.

When Barry passed away in 1865, a servant preparing the body claimed to have discovered Barry’s true identity as a woman. The British authorities covered up the revelation, sealing Barry’s personal records in the archives of the Ministry of Defence.

Nearly a century later, in the 1950s, historian Isobel Rae uncovered documents in military archives proving that Barry was, in fact, a woman—the niece of British artist James Barry.

This story reminds us that no obstacle should stand in the way of our dreams, even when the world says otherwise.