Women in Science

Florence Sabin

Physician & Researcher

Florence Sabin (1871-1953), one of the first women to enroll in Johns Hopkins Medical School, made her mark there first as a student and then as a researcher and teacher. As a student she made ground-breaking contributions to an understanding of the lymphatic system, and the year after she graduated she published An Atlas of the Medulla and Midbrain, a compendium of her research on brain structure. It was used as a standard text on the subject for thirty years and is still found in the medical libraries. For much of her career, Sabin worked and taught at Johns Hopkins, finally leaving to head a research team at the Rockefeller Institute that spearheaded the fight against turberculosis. Widely regarded as the preeminent woman scientist of the early twentieth century, Sabin was a lively-minded individual who inspired deep admiration among peers and students throughout her life.

Be sure to read about how other female, African-American and other scientists helped shape our history and make our world what it is today.