Abella

Abella, often referred to as Abella of Salerno or Abella of Castellomata, was a prominent physician in the mid-fourteenth century. She was an influential figure at the Salerno School of Medicine, where she not only studied but also taught various medical practices. Although the exact dates of her birth and death remain uncertain, it is believed that she was born around the year one thousand three hundred eighty.

At the Salerno School, Abella specialized in critical areas of medicine, including bile and women's health. Her lectures were well-regarded, and she contributed significantly to the understanding of embryology alongside her contemporary, Rebecca de Guarna. Together, they were part of a pioneering group of women who made notable strides in the medical field.

Abella authored two treatises, titled De atrabile (On Black Bile) and De natura seminis humani (On the Nature of the Seminal Fluid). Unfortunately, neither of these works has survived to the present day. Her contributions to medicine were recognized in the nineteenth century by Salvatore De Renzi, who highlighted her as one of the four notable women of the Salerno School, collectively known as the Mulieres Salernitanae.