Dorothy+Hodgkin

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910-1994)     By: katieg337

Introduction: Ever wondered who helped discover penicillin? Who worked on discovering stuff about vitamin B12? Dorothy Hodgkin was that and so much more. She had a fascinating life full of discoveries, funny things, awards, and other things. I learned a lot from my research and hope you will too! (?)

Awards: Dorothy Hodgkin was the recipient of a lot of awards in her lifetime. Because of her work with vitamin b12, she won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964. She was the third woman to receive this award. In 1965, she got a membership to the order of merit. This is the United Kingdom’s highest royal award. Dorothy was also awarded the Lenin peace prize, the Copley Medal, and the Lomonosov Gold Medal.

Family Background: Dorothy Hodgkin was born in Egypt on May 12, 1910. Her mother was a nature artist as well as a botanist. Her Father was an archeologist, who worked for the Ministry of Education in Cairo. Her parents were always moving around the world for her father’s job. When Dorothy was four years old, her family was living in England and World War I started. Her parents decided to return to Egypt, and left Dorothy and her sisters to be taken care of by family and governesses for four years. She married Dr. Thomas Hodgkin who was an expert on African Affairs. They had three children who all chose careers in academics. Her oldest son became a math teacher. Her daughter taught at a girl's school in Zambia. Her youngest son volunteered for a service like the peace corps. Dorothy lived to be 84 years old. She died on July 29, 1994 in England.

Fun Facts: - Her information about penicillin, and vitamin B12 was analyzed by one of the first electronic computers. - One of her students was former prime minister Margret Thatcher.

Penicillin: Some say that penicillin is a miracle because it helps prevent a number of large germs from growing. Penicillin started being produced in the 1940’s during World War 2. It was a helpful medicine because it helped keep germs out of soldier’s wounds to prevent infection while they were being operated on. After the war it helped save a lot of children’s lives because it fought off sicknesses that we consider minor today. Some of the diseases the children died from were sore throats, ear aches, and stomach aches.

Vitamin B12: Dorothy Hodgkin was known for her work with vitamin b12. This is a nutrient that helps keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy. Her work involved finding out the structure if this vitamin. Dorothy started her work on vitamin b12 in 1948.

Influence: Influence was probably a big part in how Dorothy went about doing her research. She was highly encouraged by her parents and some of their scientific aquatints. Dorothy was also influenced by a book that talked about how to grow crystals.

What Dorothy did for a living? Dorothy Hodgkin was a scientist. She earned her living by studying penicillin and vitamin B12. Once she finished studying those things she started trying to figure out the chemical structure of insulin. She found her answer in 1969. She got her Education at the [|__University of Cambridge__] ,  [|__Somerville College, Oxford__]  ,  [|__University of Oxford__]  and graduated from Oxford in 1932. She had to overcome people thinking she couldn’t attend a certain meeting because she was a woman at oxford.

Introduction: Ever wondered who helped discover penicillin? Who worked on discovering stuff about vitamin B12? Dorothy Hodgkin was that and so much more. She had a fascinating life full of discoveries, funny things, awards, and other things. I learned a lot from my research and hope you will too! (?)



Citations: v “Dorothy Hodgkin”//. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.// Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 19 September 2013. v Ferry, Georgina. //Dorothy Hodgkin A Life//. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: London, 1998. Print. v McGrayne, Sharon. Nobel Prize Woman in Science. New York: Carol publishing group, 1993. Print.