Dr Aletta Henriette Jacobs (9 February 1854 to 10 August 1929) was a Dutch physician and advocate of modern-day women's rights, being among the first female clinicians and to formally enrol at a Dutch university. She bolstered the Dutch and international women's movements and pioneered as the first woman to develop a clinic based on contraceptive principles in 1882 internationally. Her legacy has become paramount in the progression of modern-day feminism, where her vigour for equality and diversity has stipulated campaigns to demand women's voting rights, deregulate acts of prostitution, improve working conditions for women, and promote world peace through her work.

Author biographiesHareesha Rishab Bharadwaj is an MBChB candidate at the University of Manchester. He has a passionate interest in research pertaining to neurology and neurosurgery. In addition, he has a dedicate interest towards medical history, and has contributed to many articles in the regard.

3. Gross D and Schäfer G. Egas Moniz (1874-1955) and the "invention" of modern psychosurgery: a historical and ethical reanalysis under special consideration of Portuguese original sources. Neurosurgical Focus FOC 2011; 30: E8. 4. Himetop (n.d.). Himetop.wikicom. Antonio Egas Moniz's monument, http://himetop.wikicom/antonio-egas-moniz-s-monument (Raquel Goncalves Maia 2014, accessed 21 June 2021). 5. Escultura de Homenagem a Egas Moniz -JOPEDRA -Arte Funerária em Granito [Internet]. JOPEDRA -Arte Funerária em Granito, https://jopedra.pt/projetos/escultura-homenagemegas-moniz/https://jopedra.pt/projetos/escultura-homenagemegas-moniz/ (2021, accessed 22 July 2021).

Aim: Through this review, the authors intend to accumulate existing knowledge of VEXAS for referral, and to serve as an inspiration for further discovery, funding and research into the discipline. Methods: The non systematic literature review was conducted in January 2021, using Google Scholar and PubMed as the major extensive search engines. The keyword ‘VEXAS’ was used to narrow search results, and data was restricted to only those articles published in English. Results: The search, followed by the selection for relevancy led to a total of 5 pieces of literature being used for the purpose of this review; the lack of a huge number of results arises from the fact that the disease has been recently discovered. Discussion: Adult-onset inflammatory conditions are of increasing interest to medical professionals, and a number of patients with these conditions present with symptoms for which a concrete diagnosis is difficult to establish. In recent times, using an unconventional, yet remarkably effective genotype – based approach, researchers at the NIH have been able to discover a number of somatic mutations in UBA 1, which give rise to a unique disease. The disease, which has been named VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory and somatic syndrome) by the founders, arises from specific somatic mutations in the UBA 1 gene, and patients presenting with VEXAS have clinical manifestations - as sporadic fevers, chronic inflammation of the lungs and cartilage, and atypical vacuoles in myeloid cells, venous thromboembolism, ear and nose chondritis and macrocytic anaemia. VEXAS stems from accumulated somatic mutations in UBA 1, typically manifesting in three major variants, severely impairing the natural ubiquitylation process in cells, and shows no observable pattern of inheritance, according to the preliminary research conducted at NIH. Conclusion: Further study into VEXAS is needed for a better understanding of the syndrome.

Women faced significant barriers to pursue education in the 19th century, yet modern history has witnessed bold women overcoming insurmountable odds in this quest. To this end, Anandi Joshi braved monumental odds to successfully become the first female physician in India. Born in 1865, Anandi was one of 10 children. Her zeal for knowledge was noted early by her father, who ensured that his daughter was well-educated. She married Gopalrao Joshi as a child when she was nine; a practice that was common at the time. Anandi's quest to become a physician stemmed from a traumatic event which saw the death of her child due to the lack of medical care. Despite the numerous prevalent barriers which prevented women from indulging in education, Anandi was determined. She travelled to the United States, where through sheer persistence, she was admitted to the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania, where she graduated with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in 1886. She subsequently returned to her home country, making her the first female physician in India. Despite her untimely death, Anandi became immortalised as a legend, a beacon of hope, and continues to serve as an inspiration for generations of Indian women.