Harvard's first woman professor, Helen Maude Cam, was formally installed as Samuel Zemurray, Jr. and Doris Zemurray Stone Radcliffe professor of History at ceremonics in Agassiz House yesterday afternoon.

She is the first woman to be granted full professorship in the 312 years of the University's history.

Left Cambridge

Miss Cam, who left her post as lecturer in medieval English history at Cambridge University, England to come to Harvard this fall, addressed an audience of 400-odd students and professors during yesterday's exercises.

"Medieval history," Miss Cam said, "embodies perhapn more fully than any other aspect of history the slow advance of erring and straying humanity in its persistent endeaver to reduce discord to harmony, chaos to order, and self-interest to justice.

Current Value

"The study of Anglo-Saxon institutions carries with it some inspiration for world citizens of today," she continued. She pointed out that the medieval historian "looking back down the vista of 1000 years, has a background against which to defeats and disappointments of the last 30 years take a juster proportion."

Miss Cam was introduced by Professor David E. Owen, chairman of the Department of History.