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Science matters: Recognition in science, Richard Harwood
Recognition in science
Richard Harwood is pleased that the contribution of leading scientists is being recognised
The purpose of this article is to highlight recognition for science, and more particularly the recognition of the contribution of women to scientific advancement. However, I trust you will forgive a somewhat insular introduction focussed on my home country. The new British £50 (fifty pounds sterling) note is set to carry the image of a person of national significance; more precisely, that person will be a prominent British scientist. The public are being asked to put forward nominations, with the Bank of England’s public consultation lasting for six months from the beginning of November 2018.
In addition to the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the new note will include the portrait of an eminent late scientist. Nominations may include anyone who worked in any field of science including astronomy, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medical research, physics, technology or zoology. Mark Carney, the (Canadian) Governor of the Bank of England, commented that ‘There is a wealth of individuals whose work has shaped how we think about the world and who continue to inspire people today. Our banknotes are an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of UK society and highlight the contributions of its greatest citizens’.
While the names of key figures such as Stephen Hawking and Alan Turing are among contenders, in the spirit of this emphasis on diversity there is strong support for a woman to feature this time. If so, Ada Lovelace might be near the top of the candidate list; the English mathematician who worked on an early general-purpose computer called the Analytical Engine.
Another worthy candidate receiving support is Rosalind Franklin. Dr Franklin’s work in X-ray crystallography provided highly significant evidence that led to Watson and Crick’s elucidation of the structure of DNA. This breakthrough later earned the Nobel Prize for Watson and Crick, together with their colleague Maurice Wilkins, but Franklin had already died (and Nobel Prizes are not awarded posthumously). Recognition on the new £50 would be a worthwhile, if
The initiative and efforts of Sophia Jex-Blake exemplify the striving of women in many cultural contexts to gain educational and other opportunities. In modern times they link to the courage and purpose of Nobel Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai, who continues to fight for female educational rights having survived a Taliban assassination attempt as a 15 year-old.
limited, acknowledgement of her contribution.
It is worth reflecting that November 2018 marked the anniversary of the admission of the Edinburgh seven into medical school (November 1869). Edinburgh University was the first in Britain to admit women, albeit reluctantly. Sophia Jex-Blake was the leading member of this group of seven pioneering women who broke new ground with their studies in Edinburgh. She was born in Hastings, England, educated privately, and developed an interest in medicine in the UK and through travels in the USA. She had in fact applied to study medicine at Harvard in 1865 but was refused entry because, as her rejection letter put it, ‘there is no
provision for the education of women in any department of this university’.
Jex-Blake returned to the UK and went on to study in Edinburgh, where admission of the seven women medical students created sufficient controversy that the Surgeons’ Hall riot took place in protest in 1870. She had to move to London eventually to complete her studies, in the process playing a leading role in establishing the London School of Medicine for Women in 1874. Following this the Medical Act was passed by Parliament, allowing the medical licensing of any person, regardless of gender.
Jex-Blake finally received her degree when she was awarded an MD in Berne, Switzerland. Taking advantage of new legislation, she returned to the British Isles and became one of Britain’s first female doctors. Eventually she returned to Edinburgh, becoming Scotland’s first practising female doctor and going on to establish the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women, and the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children.
The initiative and efforts of Sophia Jex-Blake exemplify the striving of women in many cultural contexts to gain educational and other opportunities. In modern times they link to the courage and purpose of Nobel Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai, who continues to fight for female educational rights having survived a Taliban assassination attempt as a 15 year-old.
There is a need to emphasise the contribution of women to scientific progress and to increase still further the opportunities available to them. The scientific contribution of women is celebrated in the book ‘Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives. Struggles and Momentous Discoveries’ (by S.B. McGrayne; ISBN 0-309-07270-0).
