Hilda Bruce | |
---|---|
Born | 5 April 1903 |
Died | 11 February 1974 | (aged 70)
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | King's College for Women |
Known for | Discovering the Bruce effect |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Zoologist |
Institutions |
National Institute for Medical Research Pharmaceutical Society |
Hilda Margaret Bruce (5 April 1903 – 2 November 1974) was a British zoologist, best known for her discovery of the Bruce effect, a pheromonal behaviour observed in many rodent species. [1] Her work on the control of fertility earned her the Oliver Bird Medal.
Hilda Bruce was born on 5 April 1903. She was educated at St Leonards School. [2] In 1923, she began her tertiary studies at King's College for Women, where she received a BSc in Household and Social Science, and another in Physiology. [2] In 1928, Bruce joined the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) at Mount Vernon, Hampstead. [3] Her early research was dedicated towards the understanding of Vitamin D; she also jointly published the first article describing the breeding characteristics of the golden hamster. [4] In 1933, Bruce was employed by the Pharmaceutical Society, where she continued her research on Vitamin D. [3] [2] In 1941, she was appointed to set up the Cod Liver Oil (Poultry) Standardisation Laboratory. In 1944, she returned to the NIMR, where she formulated specialised diets for laboratory animals. [3] [2]
From the early 1950s, Bruce turned her attentions towards sexual behaviour in rodents, particularly the Whitten effect. [3] In 1959, she published her discovery of what is now called the Bruce effect, the termination of pregnancy following exposure to the scent of an unfamiliar male. [5] Bruce retired from the NIMR in 1963, but continued part-time research, variously on nutrients, development and pheromones, at the Department of Investigative Medicine in Cambridge. [2] She continued work at the Department until 1973. [2] In her later years, Bruce largely used a wheelchair, having been afflicted with worsening rheumatoid arthritis since 1942. [2]
Throughout the 1950s, Bruce studied sexual behaviour in laboratory mice, with a particular interest in oestrus synchronisation. [2] In one experiment, she housed newly mated pregnant females with male mice that were not the father of the carried embryo. As a result, the rate of miscarriages increased, these females subsequently returning to oestrus and mating with the new male. [5] No increased rate of miscarriages occurred when pregnant mice were paired with juvenile or castrated mice. [6]
Her colleague Alan Parkes, who had recruited her to the NIMR in 1944, [3] helped her to pursue the initial findings that eventually lead to this discovery. [7]
Following the isolation of pure vitamin D in 1931, Bruce worked in collaboration with Askew, Philpot and Webster in the Department of Biological Standards, determining the stability of the pure substance. [8] At this time, Bruce was also working with Dr Callow in the Department of Physiology, Pharmacology and Biochemistry, determining the healing effect of vitamin D in rats with rickets. [9]
Hilda Bruce | |
---|---|
Born | 5 April 1903 |
Died | 11 February 1974 | (aged 70)
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | King's College for Women |
Known for | Discovering the Bruce effect |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Zoologist |
Institutions |
National Institute for Medical Research Pharmaceutical Society |
Hilda Margaret Bruce (5 April 1903 – 2 November 1974) was a British zoologist, best known for her discovery of the Bruce effect, a pheromonal behaviour observed in many rodent species. [1] Her work on the control of fertility earned her the Oliver Bird Medal.
Hilda Bruce was born on 5 April 1903. She was educated at St Leonards School. [2] In 1923, she began her tertiary studies at King's College for Women, where she received a BSc in Household and Social Science, and another in Physiology. [2] In 1928, Bruce joined the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) at Mount Vernon, Hampstead. [3] Her early research was dedicated towards the understanding of Vitamin D; she also jointly published the first article describing the breeding characteristics of the golden hamster. [4] In 1933, Bruce was employed by the Pharmaceutical Society, where she continued her research on Vitamin D. [3] [2] In 1941, she was appointed to set up the Cod Liver Oil (Poultry) Standardisation Laboratory. In 1944, she returned to the NIMR, where she formulated specialised diets for laboratory animals. [3] [2]
From the early 1950s, Bruce turned her attentions towards sexual behaviour in rodents, particularly the Whitten effect. [3] In 1959, she published her discovery of what is now called the Bruce effect, the termination of pregnancy following exposure to the scent of an unfamiliar male. [5] Bruce retired from the NIMR in 1963, but continued part-time research, variously on nutrients, development and pheromones, at the Department of Investigative Medicine in Cambridge. [2] She continued work at the Department until 1973. [2] In her later years, Bruce largely used a wheelchair, having been afflicted with worsening rheumatoid arthritis since 1942. [2]
Throughout the 1950s, Bruce studied sexual behaviour in laboratory mice, with a particular interest in oestrus synchronisation. [2] In one experiment, she housed newly mated pregnant females with male mice that were not the father of the carried embryo. As a result, the rate of miscarriages increased, these females subsequently returning to oestrus and mating with the new male. [5] No increased rate of miscarriages occurred when pregnant mice were paired with juvenile or castrated mice. [6]
Her colleague Alan Parkes, who had recruited her to the NIMR in 1944, [3] helped her to pursue the initial findings that eventually lead to this discovery. [7]
Following the isolation of pure vitamin D in 1931, Bruce worked in collaboration with Askew, Philpot and Webster in the Department of Biological Standards, determining the stability of the pure substance. [8] At this time, Bruce was also working with Dr Callow in the Department of Physiology, Pharmacology and Biochemistry, determining the healing effect of vitamin D in rats with rickets. [9]