Alice Hamilton
At a glance:
US doctor and social reformer who founded the science of occupational medicine
Alice Hamilton's work on ill health caused by workplace hazards such as lead and organic solvents was so influential that Harvard offered her the post of assistant professor of industrial medicine, fully three decades before they accepted women as medical students. But it was subject to three requirements. No use of the Faculty Club, no access to football tickets, no presence in University processions. Dr Hamilton's enormous contribution was recognised with many honours later in her life including a listing in Men of Science in 1944 but Harvard never made her up to full professor. The FBI still considered sufficiently subversive at the age of 90, to insist on monitoring her peace campaigning.