Nuorese Cultural DistrictAdelasia Cocco Floris (b. 1885, Sassari– d. 1983, Nuoro) was an Italian physician.
Adelasia Cocco
Description
The daughter of Salvatore Cocco Solinas, a poet-storyteller, journalist and friend of Grazia Deledda, she grew up in a family environment rich in culture and innovation, which was an important stimulus for her cultural development.
Drawn to the medical profession from a young age, she enrolled in the prestigious faculty of medicine of the University of Pisa in 1907 (she was the only woman).
In 1913, she graduated from the University of Sassari with a thesis titled ‘Potere autolitico del siero di sangue come contributo alle reazioni immunitarie’ (autolithic power of blood serum as a contribution to immune reactions).
In 1914, she applied for the post of district doctor in Barbagia and became the first female district doctor in Italy, clashing with both the male medical community and public opinion in Sardinia.
She began working as a doctor in Lollove, where she had to travel treacherous roads on the back of a mule to see her patients, who were mostly farmers and shepherds.
In 1919, she decided to get her driving license, so that she could reach her patients more quickly. She was the first woman to get a driving license in Sardinia.
In 1928, she became the Nuoro Health Official, and in this capacity devoted herself to health education. She gathered the women together and taught them the basics of medicine, contributing to the entry of women into the healthcare field.
Grazia Deledda, a family friend, dedicated a story to her, Cosima, in which she highlighted the courage of an educated women in a closed, traditional environment.
Adelasia Cocco, an educated, daring, combative woman, died in Nuoro at the age of 98.
