| Jean Alice Broadhurst | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1873-12-29)29 December 1873 Stockton, New Jersey |
| Died | 4 September 1954(1954-09-04) (aged 80) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (B.S. 1903, A.M. 1908), Cornell University (Ph.D. 1914) |
| Known for | detecting the measles virus |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | botany, bacteriology |
| Institutions | New Jersey State Normal School, Barnard College, Teachers College, Columbia University |
Jean Alice Broadhurst (29 December 1873 – 4 September 1954) was an American educator, botanist and bacteriologist, known for her work in detecting the measles virus.
Career
Broadhurst graduated from New Jersey State Normal School in 1892; thereafter joining the school's faculty. She studied at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City; taught in the department of botany and zoology at Barnard College; and in 1906 joined the Teachers College, Columbia University faculty. Broadhurst earned her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1914, and retired as emerita professor at Teachers College, Columbia University in 1939.
Measles detection
In November 1937, after more than a year of research, Broadhurst announced the discovery of a method of detecting the measles virus before the appearance of the characteristic rash. Utilising the dye nigrosin, Broadhurst and her team succeeded in staining and therefore making visible the inclusion bodies in the virus. Nose and throat specimens from over 160 measles cases were used in the study, which was described in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
References
- "Trenton Alumni News: Death". The Signal. Vol. 69, no. 2. 1 October 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via TCNJ Digital Repository.
- "State Graduate Succeeds in Isolation Of Virus That is Cause of Measles". The Signal. Vol. 52, no. 7. 18 December 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via TCNJ Digital Repository.
- "Broadhurst Awarded Alumni Citation At Recent Reunion Lunch on Campus". The Signal. Vol. 54, no. 15. 23 May 1940. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via TCNJ Digital Repository.
- "Doctor Finds Measles Test: Broadhurst of Teacher's College Announces Discovery Which Will Curb Epidemics". Columbia Daily Spectator. Vol. LXI, no. 35. 10 November 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via Columbia University Libraries.
Sources
- Ogilvie, Marilyn; Harvey, Joy, eds. (2000). The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: Pioneering Lives From Ancient Times to the Mid-20th Century. Vol. A–K. Routledge. p. 370. ISBN 0-415-92038-8.
Further reading
- Broadhurst, Jean; Margaret Estelle Maclean; Vincent Saurino (September 1937). "Inclusion Bodies in Measles". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 61 (2): 201–207. doi:10.1093/infdis/61.2.201.
- Broadhurst, Jean (March 1938). "The Early Diagnosis of Measles". The American Journal of Nursing. 38 (3): 251–253. doi:10.2307/3413383. JSTOR 3413383.
- 1873 births
- 1954 deaths
- 20th-century American women scientists
- American bacteriologists
- American women botanists
- American botanists
- People from Stockton, New Jersey
- Women bacteriologists
- 20th-century American women educators
- The College of New Jersey alumni
- The College of New Jersey faculty
- Barnard College faculty
- Teachers College, Columbia University alumni
- Teachers College, Columbia University faculty
- Cornell University alumni
- Educators from New Jersey
- Scientists from New Jersey
- American women academics