Evening star., 1930-12-07
MANY WOMEN MISS
RANK AMONG FAMED
Why So Many Have Failed to Gain Great
Acclaim Is Mystery-One Solu-
ton Suggested.
CONTINUED from Third Page.)


roughly % men for every womanl So
you see they're keeping woman in her
place, all right
Quite seriously, the great women of
history have cause for a grudge. The
unknown great of any age may hope for
at least q 100-page biography or a nice
quiet tomb In Westminster Abbey when
later generations have discovered their
merit. Any Small-town library yields
facts about the great men of history.
High school boys learn all about New
ton. And the eminent Euclid is the
14-year- -old's daily pest. Well Informed
children bleat promptly when teacher
asks who was Pythagoras?" But deep
silence prevails when the question
arises:
For what was Mary somerville ia
mous2"
And should any one ask an intelligent
adult the name of the woman who
translated Newton's Principal" into
French, thereby making it available
for some Of the most significant scieu-
tiflc work ever done, a bleak quiet
would enshroud the hopeful questioner.
For who ever heard OF the Marqutse
du Chatelet?
Scope Of Work Large.
Yet the variety and scope of feminine
achievement are little short of aston
tshing. especially in view Of the fact
that these lady achievers were met with
all the traditional obstacles to their
ultimate success. Women shouldn't
work-it wasn't refined Woman
belongs in the home. Ladies shouldnt t
want to learn about science and mathe-
matics. For our old friend Man had
q monopoly on such rarefied atmos-
phere. Yet there have always been
many sprightly ladies who insisted on
free air. They deftly leapcd into the
Hall Of Fame. But no gentleman arose
to offer them his pedestal.
It is a pity that our records Of wom:
en- of antiquity are so meager. Wom-
en- distinguished themselves, notably In
medicine and philosophy. as early as
the sixth century, B. G. We discover a
brief reference to Pythagoras' wife,
Theono, who was able and we'll edu-
Gated enough to assume charge of her
husbands school of philosophy after his
death and to win renown during her
lifetime for her attainments In medi-
cine. Hippocrates and Pliny refer often
to the work of woman doctors of their
own time who were celebrated when
they lived-and whose names have
passed into undeserved oblivion. Dur
ing the Middle Ages most Of the med.
ical practice was in the hands of monks
and nuns. among whom Saint Hide
garde was renowned. But in many
countries women were forbidden by law
to become physicians; so. with few ex-
ceptions. We find no celebrated woman
In medicine until Elizabeth Anderson
put up her magnificent battle. Thanks
TO this extraordinary woman. the men,
bers Of her set may now practice medi-
cine all over the world.
w.. no.So-s. Ds-lA
Born In 1886, she grew up to a single
interest. She was determined to study
medicine in spite OF the fact that It
was unheard of for women to under
take the work; indeed many of her
contemporaries considered it positively
indecent. After futile attempts to
study at the regular medical schools
as full student, this independent lady
took the next best course. She studied
anatomy privately at the London Hos
pital and with some Of the renowned
professors OF the time. Her study COM
pleted, she found another battle royal
on her hands 70 get q qualifying d.
pioma 30 that she could become q prac-
tictng physician. Turned down by
countless institutions. including Lon
don University and the Royal Colleges
OF Physicians and Surgeons, she finally
don Society Of Apothecaries, where
she was at last licensed.
For years Elizabeth Anderson strug-
gled along, determined to establish q
hospital where poor women could get
help from woman doctors. The New
Hospital, the outgrowth Of her efforts,
Is now run entirely by women, and be-
fore Elizabeth Anderson died at 81 she
had the satisfaction of knowing that
she was largely responsible for the ex-
tstence Of woman physicians today.
Triumphed In Science.
The achievement Of women In sci
ence has never been decently recog-
nized. None but the most avid stu
dents Of astronomy, for example, knows
Of the extraordinary work of Caroline
Of the distinguished Sir William. And
yet. what did she do? Well, it was
she who planned their work Not only
did she spend her nights until early
dawn working with him, even in the
bitterest cold when their ink froze In
its bottle, but she reduced every OBJ
servation, made every calculation and
made available to science the magnifl-
cent work Of her brother. Indeed, II
Is admitted that she is for the most
part responsible for his distinction and
recognition.
And as If this weren't enough to flll
"a hours day, Caroline Herschel made
her own independent observations
i've different times she was the first TO
sight new comets. Awarded the gold
medal Of the Astronomical Society OF
London in 1928 and elected to honor
airy membership-an unusual distinc-
tion--to even well informed people she
Is unknown today.
Who httf Gparfolgcke auav, fho
names Of other great woman astrono-
mers? Saint Hildegarde, for exam
pie, the Benedictine abbess, who is re-
puted 70 have anticipated the theory
OF gravttation and the explanation oi
the alienation of the seasons? OF
Nine. Hortense Lepaute, the most emf
nent woman astronomer France haI
ever produced? Or Henrietta Leavitt
whom Henry Smith williams calls prob
make a major discovery in astronomy
Aided Other Regulations.
What young student of physics to-
day ever hears Of the brilliant MARY
6omerville, whose magnificent transla-
ton into English of Laplace's "Mecan.
tQue Celeste" not only made her famous
but gained for Laplace the distin.
gIished reputation which he otherwise
might never have achieved? Widely
acquainted among the most eminent
scientists Of her time, Mary Somervill'
was said by Laplace 70 be the only
woman who understood his works ThI
author of original and brilliant scien.
tiflc writings, our lady physicist
conscTipted into the army Of the un.
known feminine great, where, perhaps
she will find congenial the compan.
ionship Of other brilliant women scien'
tists-perhaps the wife Of Lavoisier.
You knew he was married. you say
but what about his wife2 Well, JUS
this: Lavoisier's monumental work II
chemistry demanded much research IL