a biography of the day-hattie elizabeth alexander (microbiologist, Ist to study antibiotic resistanc

[niyad]

Hattie Alexander
Born April 5, 1901
Baltimore, Maryland
Died June 24, 1968
New York City
Fields pediatrician and microbiologist
Alma mater Goucher College
Known for Haemophilus influenzae, antibiotic resistance

Hattie Elizabeth Alexander (April 5, 1901 – June 24, 1968) was an American pediatrician and microbiologist. She is known for her development of the first effective remedies for Haemophilus influenzae infection,[1] as well as being one of the first scientists to identify and study antibiotic resistance.

Alexander was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from Goucher College in 1923. She worked for the United States Public Health Service and the Maryland Public Health Service, and then enrolled at Johns Hopkins University medical school, where she received her M.D. in 1930. In 1932, she became an instructor and researcher in the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University, where she spent her entire professional career.

In the early 1940s, Alexander began researching Haemophilus influenzae (Hib), at the time an almost invariably fatal disease in infants and young children. She developed an improved antiserum for the disease; by combining antiserum therapy with the use of sulfa drugs, and developing standardized techniques for diagnosis and treatment, she and her associate Grace Leidy helped reduce the mortality rate from Hib from nearly 100 percent to less than 25 percent. Later, Alexander and Leidy studied the effect of antibiotics on Hib, finding streptomycin to be highly effective. The combined use of the antiserum, sulfa drugs, and antibiotics significantly lowered the mortality rate from Hib.

In the course of her research on antibiotics, Alexander noted and reported the appearance of antibiotic-resistant strains of Hib. She concluded, correctly, that this was caused by random genetic mutations in DNA which were positively selected through evolution; she and Leidy demonstrated the occurrence of transformation in the Hib bacillus, leading to resistance.
Alexander received numerous honors and awards for her work, including the E. Mead Johnson Award (1942) and the Oscar B. Hunter Memorial Award (1962). In 1964, she became the first woman to be elected president of the American Pediatric Society. She died of liver cancer in New York City in 1968.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattie_Alexander


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During the next three years she continued her training at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Babies Hospital and Vanderbilt Clinic of the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Appointed an adjunct assistant pediatrician at Babies Hospital (now called Babies' and Children's Hospital of New York) and the Vanderbilt Clinic in 1933, she remained affiliated with Columbia for the rest of her career. She became assistant attending pediatrician in 1938 and attending pediatrician in 1951, and was appointed associate professor in 1948. She was finally appointed full professor in 1958, aged 57.

Alexander first became interested in influenzal meningitis while interning at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the early 1930s. Although attempts to use an anti-influenzal serum derived from horses had failed, she noted the success of researchers using a rabbit serum to treat pneumonia. Experimenting with rabbit serums, by 1939 Alexander had developed an effective cure for influenzal meningitis. She continued to refine the treatment through the early 1940s, and within a short period infant mortality from this disease was virtually eliminated.

In recognition of her achievement, Alexander received the E. Mead Johnson Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1942, the Elizabeth Blackwell Award from the New York Infirmary in 1956, and in 1961 she was the first woman to receive the Oscar B. Hunter Memorial Award of the American Therapeutic Society.

Her work with influenzal meningitis led her to study antibiotics, and she made considerable progress in understanding the genetic mutation of bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics. Throughout her career she remained active in public health, serving on the influenza commission under the secretary of war during World War II, and as consultant to the New York City Department of Health from 1958 to 1960.

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http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_4.html

[libodem]

1. When I worked in the Veterans Home

We had quite a bit of Hemophilias influenza culture out in sputum specimens, it was a gram negative bacteria, and susceptible to Septra. Our docs were still figuring that out in the
1990's.

It causes a form of meningitis, too.

[niyad]

2. I was just reading about that in the second bio. very scary stuff.

thank you for your work with vets.

[libodem]

3. I loved them very much

I even had some WW1 fellows, but mostly WWII guys, several Korean, and very few Viet Nam, era guys. That should all be opposite, now. I don't think we have any WWI's left anymore.

[niyad]

4. when I was counselling at a veteran's outreach center, nearly all our clents were vietnam vets.

when I was asked to come back this time to counsel, I could not do it, as much as I knew it was needed. 40 years was enough.

[rainy]

5. Thanks for this information. I'm sending it to my daughter who

said the other day that she thinks men are smarter than women

[niyad]

6. you are most welcome. I just read your post in gd--can imagine it was disconcerting to hear her

say that.

There were some very good suggestions there, and I hope they help some. We try to post some biographies of amazing women here daily (miss some days) and the same is true in history of feminism. Will edit this when I find the post about maria merian--that should blow your daughter's socks off!!

here is the post on maria merian--your daughter just might be impressed:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022605171