"From Nell van Heerden to Muriel - empty envelopes the letters returned by Muriel to Nell in 1962"

Anna Petronella van Heerden (1887-1975), was the first Afrikaner woman to qualify as a medical doctor. Her thesis, which she obtained a doctorate on in 1923, was the first medical thesis written in Afrikaans. She practiced as a gynecologist, retiring in 1942. She also served in the South African medical corps during World War II.

The letters were organised into brown envelopes labelled by Ann MacEwen (1918-2008).