First ladies in laying the foundation of neuroendocrinology.

Irish Journal of Medical Science
C S Breathnach, J B Moynihan

Abstract

Although women were welcomed into medical practice in increasing numbers by the close of the nineteenth century, it was not until the second quarter of the twentieth century that they were recognised as valuable collaborators and contributors in the nascent field of neuroendocrinology, wherein they soon made advances that have stood the test of time. Mary Pickford at Edinburgh measured the action of acetyl choline in the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus and helped to establish that vasopressin and oxytocin are formed in separate and distinct neurons. Berta Scharrer, like her future husband Ernest Scharrer, was born in Munich. Their great contribution was the proof that the posterior pituitary is not a gland, but the location of the release into the circulation of vasopressin and oxytocin from fibres in the hypothalamico-hypophysial tract. Their work succeeded in establishing against high-powered, vehement opposition the value of histological evidence in elucidating synthesis, storage and release of secretion from neuro-endocrine cells. A Rockefeller travelling fellowship allowed Marthe Vogt to move from Berlin in 1932 to London and then to Cambridge. The relations between the cortex and medulla of the suprarenal gland and...Continue Reading

References

Feb 28, 1952·Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Containing Papers of a Biological Character·G W HARRIS, D JACOBSOHN
Jan 15, 1948·Nature·G W HARRIS

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Citations

Jul 20, 2021·Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy·Artur PałaszJohn J Worthington

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