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British chemistry has traditionally been depicted as a solely male endeavour. However, this perspective is untrue: the allure of chemistry has attracted women since the earliest times. Despite the barriers placed in their path, women studied academic chemistry from the 1880s onwards and made interesting or significant contributions to their fields, yet they are virtually absent from historical records.
Comprising a unique set of biographies of 141 of the 896 known women chemists from 1880 to 1949, this work attempts to address the imbalance by showcasing the determination of these women to survive and flourish in an environment dominated by men. Individual biographical accounts interspersed with contemporary quotes describe how women overcame the barriers of secondary and tertiary education, and of admission to professional societies. Although these women are lost to historical records, they are brought together here for the first time to show that a vibrant culture of female chemists did indeed exist in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Sample Chapter(s)
Introduction (76 KB)
Chapter 1: Getting an Education (215 KB)
Introduction to Biographical Information (38 KB)
Biographical information A - C (215 KB)
Biographical information D - G (270 KB)
Biographical information H - K (335 KB)
Biographical information L - O (335 KB)
Biographical information P - S (377 KB)
Biographical information T - Z (266 KB)
Contents:
- Introduction
- Getting an Education: The Professional Societies
- The London Co-educational Colleges
- The London Women's Colleges
- English Provincial Universities
- The Cambridge and Oxford Women's Colleges
- Universities in Scotland and Wales
- Hoppy's 'Biochemical Ladies'
- Women Crystallographers
- Women in Pharmacy
- The Role of Chemists' Wives
- Women Chemists and the First World War
- The Interwar Period and Beyond
Readership: Historians of science, chemists, those with an interest in women's studies, educationalists, and general readers.
