Evening Star Newspaper, March 22, 1931, Page 82

Woman Scientists Who Carry on Research /7 ork For Uncle Sam . THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €, MARCH 2, 1991 Government Group Includes Highest Ranking Geologists in the United States—Two ~ Paleontographic Illustrators, a Couple of Medical Bacteriologists and-an Expert in Marine Invertebrates. BY JAMES NEVIN MILLER. HEY stand squarely on their own feet, asking nothing at all from a man's world of science except that their work be judged on its merits alone. Such are the woren scientists at- " tached to Uncle Sam's great research labora- tories in Washington. All told, the genuine “topnotchers” among them total only a trifle more than a baker’s dozen. Yet all show the true qualities of leadership; they possess that which is referred to as “womanliness,” while many receive prominent mention in the annual American Men of Science, a tiny volume issued annually, containing a who's who of those who have accomplished important scientific work in the United States. Included in this group are three geologists, two paleontographic illustrators, two medical becteriologists, an expert on marine inverte- brates, one assistant curator, an explorer, a beverage chemist, a “nematodist,” a “cytologist” and a “mycologist.” Probably the most readable “human-interest” story that might be told about any of these dis- tinguished scientists is the one about three women connected with the United States Geo- _logical Survey—Dr. Florence Bascom, Dr. A. F. Jonas and Dr. Julia A. Gardner. Certainly this little group comprises the highest-ranking women geologists in the United States. Indeed, most geologists who now are prominent in commercial pursuits have spent an apprenticeship with the Geological Survey, which is admittedly the best training school for the Nation’s leading experts on rock formations. UT to return to the “human-interest” story. It starts some years ago and has a “col- legiate” background—Bryn Mawr. It seems that & young geology instructor there, a Miss Bascom, . had such a charming personality and rare power of visualizing the really fascinating Miss Alice Evans, bacteriologist of the Public Health Service. She frequently risks her life in the study of diseases. phases of the science that the course was very much in demand; so much so that news of the young woman’s ability reached the interested ears of certain officials of the United States Geological Survey. Whereupon a position was offered her, subject to the customary Civil Service regulations. Miss Bascom accepted, much to the regret of the faculty and students of Bryn Mawr. It is a coincidence that two of Miss Bascom’s most proficient students, Miss A. F. Jonas and Miss Julia A. Gardner, who were graduated a few years later, also found excellent posts with the survey. Todey Miss Bascom is regarded with a great deal of affection and respect as the dean of the Nation's women geologists. She and her two former students have published a number of authoritative scientific works on America’s geological formations. Moreover, $me years ago to Miss Bascom came the honor Miss Mary King Sumner at work in the laboratory of the Geological Survey. of being the first woman to belong to the dis- tinguished Geological Society of America. Working hand in hand with both men and women geologists are two well known “paleonto- graphic illustrators” of the Geological Survey, Miss Frances Wieser and Miss Mary King Sumner. In their chosen field these two experts rate with the foremost in the land. An im- portant phase of their ‘work consists in making drawings of fossi} rock formations, dating back perhaps millions of years, and retouching photos of other specimens. A powerful microscope is usually necessary in this connection, for often- times the specimens used to make such pictorial material are smaller even than the finest pin point. fhe dents, cracks and crevices which such drawings and pictures delineate are 6f vast im- portance to State and national geologists, for they are the direction signs which indicate where new supplies of oll, coal and valuable rock may be found, and at approximately what distances below the earth’s surface the deposits are located. If the mck specimens are tiny they are mounted on special glass slides and studied carefully under a binocular microscope which magnifies as much as 200 times. This has a . special micrometer which helps measure the magnified specimen so as to make the drawing in the desired scale. By a curious blow-pipe arrangement speci- mens are sprayed with chemical solutions which whiten their surfaces so that even the most delicate lines and marks may be closely ob- served. This solution also destroys any discol- orations that might obscure the all-important lines, indentations and bumps, After classifi- cation of fossils in this manner it is possible to establish the geologic age of every rock fore mation and from this knowledge it is only one more step to a direct correlation of oil or coal producing strata. Two bacteriologists who have made notable discoveries to aid the Government's relent- less warfare " against mysterious diseases are Miss Alice Evans and Miss Sara E, Branham, both with the hygienic laboratories of the United States Public Health Service. Truly, Miss Evans is a living martyr to medical science, for again and again she has risked her Yife in connection with the important research work. Already she has had “Malta” or “undu- lant” fever, caused usually by drinking the ine fected milk of goats or cows, The strange ailment has been a puzzle to the medical fraternity, both as to cause and possible cure. So far no cure has been found, but science now knows that a thorough pas- teurization of milk will serve as a preventive. Miss Evans’ contribution to the world’s knowl- edge of this mysterious disease has been of great value. As far back as 1918 she made the discovery that there is a very close relation between the organism’ which carries “undulant” fever to humans gnd that which causes conta- gious diseases in hogs and cattle. It was found that the two organisms are indistinguishable by ordinary laboratory methods, although a slight difference can be detected by the use of a cer- tain complicated and tedious test. The dis- covery by Miss Evans was confirmed later by quulified investigators in the United States, Austria, Italy, The Netherlands, Egypt, Japan Miss Agnes Chase, Uncle Sam’s chief woman explorer. She finds all sorts of . Mrs. Ruth Starrett is a “cytologist” in the Bureau of Plant Industry. Her job is to study new types of beet and sugar canes, / and South Africa. They pointed out that the two organisms are alike in appearance, behavior and capability. Prominent among the Smithsonian Institue tion scientists is Mary J. Rathbun of the divi- sion of marine invertebrates. For years she has been making an exhaustive study of crabs, both recent and fossil; or, as Miss Rathbun herself - describes her work, “decapod crustacea, which include shrimps ds well as crabs of yesterday and today.” ‘Miss Rathbun not only has peered deeply into the complicated sciences of geology and . paleontology, but she is also a linguist of note. - Her research work requires much more than & smattering of many tongues. She has cone quered scientific French, in which new fongue= : twisting words are being coined virtually all the time. - ‘The only woman in the entire Smithsonian - Institution who ratss the important title eof - assistant curator is Miss Doris Cochran of the division of reptiles and amphibians. Every year she catalogues between 2,000 and 3,000 speci= mens of creatures that rate scientifically as “cold-blooded vertebrates, with the exception of fishes, none of which achieve the steady high temperatures characteristic of mammals.” ‘ ‘This is the second largest collection of the kind in the entire world, the largest being in the British Museum. Included are turtles, crocodiles, alligators, snakes, frogs and sala= manders.- Ncne of these specimens is alive. But they do have in their scales, color, size and proportions certain almost mathematically pre- cise characteristics that fit into a definite formula for differentiation of species. RIGHT here is where Miss Cochran’s scie entific post is so important. She has classify every one of the specimens sul to her, and this is an extremely difficult, slow and painstaking job. For not only does she have to put every type of modern reptile inte its proper scientific cubbyhole, but she lkee wise must piece together, correct and alter, Continued on Thirteenth Page Miss Anna Mix, whose Government work includes a careful inspection of all . popular drink mixtures. - e