Some Women Pioneers In Haematology

Abstract

When greater perils men environ, Then women show a front of iron; And, gentle in their manner, they Do bold things in a quiet way Thomas Dunn English (1819±1902), Betty Zane

Haematology at the Hammersmith Hospital and Royal Postgraduate Medical School 1934–1994

“…Before joining HH she had continued her haematological researches at the London Hospital with Hubert Turnbull and Donald Hunter, and from these published the first monograph in English on The Anaemias (Vaughan, 1934), which attracted both John Dacie and Gwyn Macfarlane into the specialty of haematology. Janet Vaughan's career has been the subject of a previous historical review in this series (Firkin, 2000).…”

Contribution of pioneer women hematologists in India in the 20th century

“…[86] However, few articles are seen on women medical practitioners from different specialties, not to speak of a rare and newly upcoming specialty like hematology. [1] In this area, very few papers could be seen in the international arena also. It is heartening to see that India did produce women hematologists of great caliber who mentored many students including lady students preparing them for the subject in the coming century.…”

“…A similar evaluation has been made for western lady hematologists relatively recently. [1] LUCY WILLIS (1888-1964) Lucy Willis was posted in Haffkine Institute, Mumbai, during the 1930s (1929)(1930)(1931)(1932)(1933)(1934)(1935) as a part of the Indian Medical Service when she did a thorough investigation on nutritional macrocytic anemia and macrocytic anemia of pregnancy. At that time in the Western world, pernicious anemia was getting rapt attention.…”

The history of folic acid

“…Janet Vaughan, who has been the subject of an earlier article in this Archive series (Firkin, 2000), found that children with coeliac disease and adults with idiopathic steatorrhoea suffering from ‘megalocytic hyperchromic anaemia’ also showed haematological responses to Marmite (Vaughan, 1932). Wills & Evans (1938) reported that patients with tropical macrocytic anaemia were cured by injections of crude liver extract (‘Campolon’) or by feeding autolysed yeast extract, after failing to respond to a purified liver extract (‘Anahaemin’) active in patients with Addisonian pernicious anaemia.…”