Maria Josefa Cerrato Rodriguez

María Josefa Cerrato Rodríguez was born in Arroyo de San Serván, a town in the province of Badajoz, Spain, on January 6, 1897. Her family managed a livestock branding business and had a tradition of veterinary practice. Her grandfather and father were veterinarians, and her mother was a teacher². However, when her father retired, their family business would have to close if there was no veterinarian. Her father encouraged her to enroll in the university to obtain the title of veterinarian. At that time, women were forbidden to study this career, so in 1923 María Josefa had to obtain a special permission from the Ministry of Public Instruction, which included a medical certificate that endorsed her physical abilities³. She had previously studied music theory at the Conservatory of Madrid, high school in Badajoz, where she also obtained the title of Teacher. She won a place as a teacher in Esparragosa de los Lares in oppositions but later requested a leave of absence to start the preparatory course for access to the University of Seville. She completed the first three courses of Pharmacy at the University of Granada². She enrolled as a free student at the Special School of Veterinary Medicine in Córdoba in 1924 and obtained her degree on June 6, 1925. She was not the first Spanish woman to enroll in Veterinary Medicine, but she was the first to finish the studies and qualify. She was able to finish earlier than Justina González Morilla, who enrolled before her at the University of León, because some subjects passed in Pharmacy were validated for her. She was also the third woman in Europe to obtain a veterinary degree, after Renée Pépin from France and Aleen Cust from Ireland. On February 16, 1926, she registered with the Official College of Veterinarians of Badajoz. Once she finished her veterinary career, she moved to Santiago de Compostela, where she completed the remaining Pharmacy courses at the University of Santiago de Compostela³². She married Ignacio Barrientos and had three daughters: María del Carmen, María Teresa and María Luisa Barrientos Cerrato. She worked as a Municipal Veterinary Inspector, teacher and pharmacist in Calamonte between 1926 and 1967³². She died in Calamonte on April 30, 1981. She was a pioneer in her field and left a legacy of courage and dedication for future generations of women veterinarians.