Becoming a Vertebrate Palaeontologist
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International Journal of Paleobiology & Paleontology ISSN: 2642-1283 MEDWIN PUBLISHERS Committed to Create Value for Researchers Becoming a Vertebrate Palaeontologist Turner S* Mini Review Department of Geosciences, Queensland Museum, Australia Volume 4 Issue 1 Received Date: January 27, 2021 *Corresponding author: Susan Turner, Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Published Date: February 11, 2021 Geosciences, Queensland Museum, 122 Gerler Road, Hendra, Queensland 4011, Australia, Email: [email protected] ; [email protected] Abstract The roads to becoming a palaeontologist or contributing to the discipline are many and varied and for women, often tortuous. Concentrating on early to mid 20th century women in Europe brings to light some of the ways in which women survived in the field of vertebrate palaeontology (VP) studying from the earliest fish to our own human relatives. Only are few are known: e.g., in Britain (Pearson, Steen, Rayner), France (Friant, Dechaseaux), Germany (Edinger, von Huene), Hungary (Mottl), The Netherlands (Schreuder, Sanders,), Romania (von Nopsca), and Sweden (Carlsson, Christie-Lind). It is not always easy to unravel the whys and hows of their scientific contributions or even the basic details of their lives but new historical research has brought to light over 1200 women in VP. Their paths to contributing to VP and the difficulties overcome add to the history ofKeywords: women in science and may inspire others to choose a life in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Vertebrate Palaeontology; Women; Historical Research; STEM; 20th Century; Western Europe Abbreviations: STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering Emerita at San Diego State University and the author co- Over the last three years, Annalisa history Berta, of womenProfessor in and Mathematics; VP: Vertebrate Palaeontology; SVP: Society . In our d’Histoireof Vertebrate Naturelle; Paleontology; NHM = The DMS: Natural David History Meredith Museum Seares; newoperated book to[6], create we have a first considered definitive the stories of discovery, UCL: University College London; MNHN: Museum National collection,VP, with over and study1200 andnoted popularisation for their contributions of fossil vertebrates Introduction through time and increasing contributions by women around Investigating the history of women in science meets the theby women.world, both Our asgoal professional was to highlight scientists the and changing ‘amateurs’. roles In challenges of unravelling the lives of people who are mainly our quest, we interviewed and corresponded with many of the currently active women and tracked the lives of the many, some forgotten, women of the past. dealing‘missing’ with from more the recentnarratives history. of life Delving [1,2]. into Both any Oldroyd history [3] of and Falk [4] have pinpointed the difficulties especially when Because in much of the world the same constraints hunted for mammoths or dinosaurs. In fact, few women apply, despite efforts such as the UN programmes to educate beforescience the text last will decadenot enlighten or so youeven too wrote much about on which the womenhistory young women, and in certain places girls are still forbidden education, we need to foster an attitude of encouraging young people into STEM. Collecting fossils is one way that whoof science. had contributed, One who did, as anEmily artist Eveleth – the illustrativeSnyder [5], skillsscience of teacher of Little Falls, New York, could only find one woman anyone can enter the field, as we rely on amateurs to make young Cecile Braun of Karlsruhe (born anywhere between special finds. Based on numerous examples, from Mary 1799 & 1810?–1848), who captured the eye (and eventually Anning of Lyme Regis on, children are particularly good at the heart) of pioneer palaeoichthyologist Louis Agassiz [6]. finding fossils, being closer to the ground and with their keen Becoming a Vertebrate Palaeontologist Int J Paleobiol Paleontol 2 International Journal of Paleobiology & Paleontology young eyes. Thus, here I’d like to highlight some of those women who freed themselves, by education and entered the contributors. For more see [6] and Table 1. th century. I shall concentrate on the area we call Europe (ignoring Brexit) and on a few key scientific VP arena in the early 20 Name Dates Place of birth Training Job/Research Relationships Pubs Refs commercial Curation, Karoline 1898-Secretary, 1879-1966 Austria school; ~10 self-taught work; photography Augusta Ärnbäck Mammals; field Obit ADAMETZ ‘Lotte’ Self-taught G-P, NH Mus Sweden M ~9 -CHRISTIE-LIND 1870-1953 Romania ~ < BFV 1909 PhD JF (nee Andersson SSR 10 Virginia BARBU 1905–1997 PhD Curation, BFV Director Tring Shindler Dorothy BATE self-taught Museum 2004 work 1878-1951 Wales Mammals; field ~ 56 Albertina Stockholm 1848-1930 Sweden M ~30 1927 teacher Elsie Margaret Hon. PhD Zooarchaeo Tomlinson England CARLSSON Q M 1941 Colette 1906-19991885-1976 France MNHN 6+ DECHASEAUXCLIFFORD R B M Palaeoneurology Senckenberg Tilly EDINGER 1897- 1967 Germany PhD paleoneurology >400 BFV until 1938 Madeleine 1897- France PhD M MNHN ~ 90 Obit; BFV FRIANT Friedrich von Erika von HUENE Germany PhD JF, R M ~8 BFV 197/8x? Huene Miss A.C. Cleevely 1905-1969 Scotland? PhD ? n/a Edderton Burn 1983 JF coll. – ORS Budapest 19xx?-dates?1906-1980 Hungary M ~70 JACKSON Mr Györffy Obit; BFV MariaIlona MOTTL PhD Elder Brother Romania Dinosaur bones von Nopsca NOPCSA von 1883-1952 1927 DSc Franz Freiherr England R M ~8 FELSOE-SZILVAS Mr Hacker Dorothy Helen DMS Watson Boylan Helga PEARSON 1912-20031899-1975 England JF 2020 Margarethe The PhD DMS Watson RAYNER Naturalis; Shell ~40 bio SANDERS Netherlands Unpaid incl. Leiden Brongersma consultant Mrs L. D. Antje 1905-1996 PhD Dutch M SCHREUDER Mrs James Margaret C. 1887-1952 PhD ~50 Obit; BFV England T Brough ~6 STEEN 1905- 1971 PhD BFV Table 1: th-mid 20th century. DMS Watson European Women in VP in the Late 19 For more see Berta & Turner [6] and literature cited; BFV = Bibliography of Fossil Vertebrates; B = birds, JF = jawed fishes, R = reptiles, M = mammals, NH = natural history, Q = Quaternary, ORS = Old Red Sandstone, T = tetrapods. Turner S. Becoming a Vertebrate Palaeontologist. Int J Paleobiol Paleontol 2021, 4(1): 000123. Copyright© Turner S. 3 International Journal of Paleobiology & Paleontology Early History Albion’s Best Few women before the later 20th to 21st centuries made By the end of the 19th century more women began to a life in science or gained formal paid positions. For the most gain education, independence and even university degrees part women were overwhelmed with social, domestic and were possible. They began to gain employment, and for biological constraints. Those that have achieved recognition in the bio- and geosciences for their roles in palaeontology herthese way more into intrepid employment women at field the Britishcollecting Museum was undertaken of Natural recent decades the lives of the few in the 19th century who in earnest. In Britain, Welsh-born Dorothea Bate, who talked do not constitute many (e.g., Kölbl-Ebert & Turner [2]). In pride in those pioneers, such as Mary Anning, Etheldred sitesHistory in Europe in London and (nowthe Middle NHM), East. albeit Fortunately, in an unpaid she position,gained a contributed to VP have been illuminated, with long-overdue biographerwent on to excavate in historian mammal Karolyn and Schindler bird fossils [8]. from numerous and Carrie Adeleine Barbour in America, who had actually Bennet, and the Philpot sisters in England, Fanny Hitchcock Three other important British women came to the fore State Museum in the late 19th century, Anna Boleslavovna gained a paid position in the Nebraska-Lincoln University th and 19th in the suffragette era and thanks to the influence of David Missuna in the Baltics, and Maria Pavlova in Russia, who anMeredith impeccable Seares (DMS)academic Watson family at University that encouraged College London free- oftrained Europe in Franceand the (e.g. US and Berta few & gotTurner a paid [6]). job! In Most the 18 young girls (Department of Zoology, UCL), and they shined in VP. From orcenturies women the could women have wereno aspirations mainly confined because to education Britain, parts and The Grammar of Science. In 1921 opportunities were lacking. This is why Mary Anning’s life is thinking, Helga Sharpe Pearson, daughter of UCL biostatician researchKarl Pearson, on fossil who wrotemammals. Helga went to visit the US toafter study her B.Sc.,fossils, became starting Assistant a trend in that UCL continuesZoology and today began as so remarkable (e.g. Sharpe [7]). collections are located in institutions around the world. In publication of the Origin of Species; women’s emancipation the early 1920s she then did important work and published increasedMinds by did the change,end of the not 19 thleast century after and Darwin’s slowly barriers 1859 on South African dicynodont mammal-like reptiles. the discipline was the coming of societies that they could At the behest of DMS, Margaret Clair Steen became the fell. A major factor in finally encouraging women into belong to, and for VP this means the Society of Vertebrate first woman to work on early Carboniferous tetrapods. After InPaleontology the course (SVP),of research founded for theeventually new book, in December we ‘discovered’ 1940. early training with him at UCL, she gained her doctorate The role of women in the early SVP has mostly been neglected. theat Victoria foundation University for the successfulManchester. Newcastle Her significant University body Alec of American, including the then indefatigable septuagenarian work in the 1930s on US, UK andth century Czech [6].amphibians Marriage laid to Carrieover 25 Barbour, female foundingbut also theor ‘Charter’ resilient members.European-born Most wereTilly fellow DMS-student James Brough did not stop her research completelyPanchen School and when later hein becamethe 20 Chair of Zoology at Cardiff University in 1944, the university happily also ‘acquired’ Edinger (see below) and Lore David (1905–1985), both of Margaret virtually by default.