Author: Aldanova Aziza
Translated by: Uspanova Ainura
The continuous development of science is the merit of every scientist, regardless of whether it is a man or a woman. Women have worked hard for centuries and made their way into the fields of education, science and medicine, despite gender issues, the prohibitions on studying at universities and getting a decent education. This article is about women who devoted themselves to medicine and made a tremendous contribution to its development.
Since the 19th century, women have become actively involved in the development of science and medicine. A vivid example is Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910), she had to file documents and hear constant denials at many medical universities. But she was able not only to enter the school of medicine, but also to become the first woman in America with a degree in 1849. In the end, she continued her practice in New York. Then she opened a school of medicine for women in London together with her sisters. And she devoted her life to sanitation, prevention and family planning. Although she did not become a Nobel Prize laureate, her work in the field of medicine was much appreciated.
The first woman to receive the Nobel Prize and twice awarded her by Marie Curie, made a huge contribution to radiation therapy and diagnostics, studying radioactivity and creating an apparatus based on x-rays. During the First World War, Marie and her daughter Irene brought mobile X-ray machines and radiological devices to the front, which allowed them to treat more than a million soldiers. The Curie Institute, founded in 1920 in Paris, still remains one of the main centers of cancer research.
Gertie Corey (1896-1957) is another Nobel Prize winner in 1947. The first woman to receive an award in medicine and physiology for the discovery of the catalytic conversion of glycogen, with her husband Carl Ferdinand Corey. She also conducted numerous studies of the action of hormones, focusing on the pituitary gland. During her life, Gertie received several awards in recognition of her contribution to science and received a Ph.D. from 1948 to 1955 at Boston University, Smith College, Yale, Columbia and Rochester.
Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) was the first woman to become a professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Although Virginia did not receive the Nobel Prize, its contribution to neonatology is one of the most significant, which sharply reduced the mortality of newborns. She invented an Apgar assessment of the condition to assess the need for urgent medical care for newborns. In modern medicine, this method is actively used in the first minutes of an infant's life to assess the clinical condition.
Barbara McClintock (1902-1992) devoted her whole life to the study of the cytogenetics of corn. Since 1921, she has developed a love of genetics, and subsequently she was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1963 “For the discovery of transposing (motive) genetic systems”. According to her theory, there are always genes that suppress or enhance one or other phenotype, and this action comes from their localization from each other. That is, due to the transposition (movement) of genes, such changes occur.
The American scientist, chemist, pharmacologist - Gertrude Bell Elyon (1918-1999) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1988 for the Discovery of the Important Principles of Medicines, sharing it with George Hutchings and the Scottish pharmacologist White Black. Gertrude Elion received a large number of patents for inventions. She created effective drugs against malaria, toxoplasmosis, herpes, HIV infection, which saved millions of lives. Unfortunately, she could not start a family, as she devoted her whole life to the study and training of her students.
“The Dark Lady of DNA” - Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958), during her life the results of her work were not recognized and belittled. The year 1953 was revolutionary in connection with the discovery of a new DNA helix. However, prizes were awarded only to James Watson and Francis Crick, only after her death, they recognized that if it were not for Rosalind, they would never have been able to present this discovery. But she was not destined to receive the Nobel Prize for her heritage in the field of nucleic acid research. However, in February 2019, the British Mars rover was named after her, which will be sent as part of the Exo Mars 2020 project.
Radioimmune analysis (RIA), one of the highly sensitive methods for measuring peptide hormones in the blood, is an invention of the American medical physicist Rosalyn Yalova. For her new invention, Rosalyn was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1977. Yalova’s methodology was so accurate that it allowed her to scan blood for infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis. Thanks to what transfusion became safer and more effective. Also, her method allowed scientists to prove that types of 2 diabetes were caused by the fact that the body cannot properly use insulin.
The role of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the role of dopamine and its effect on the brain was explained by interdisciplinary studies of the neurobiologist Patricia Goldman Rakic. They examined the frontal part of the brain and the relationship with memory. That allowed us to expand the concepts in neurology and psychiatry.
Women are unique, and their role in human life is undeniable. However, the contribution of women to the development of medicine and science is still not appreciated. Nevertheless, these personalities inspire young girls to new discoveries, and not only. They proved to the whole world that in science there is no gender division. Science is a place where everyone, despite external, physical signs are equal, because they are attracted by the idea of creating, researching, expanding new perspectives.
