Minnie Abercrombie

Minnie Abercrombie (14 November 1909 – 25 November 1984), née Johnson, was a British zoologist. She was known for her work on invertebrates and her work in the publishing industry, conducted with her husband, Michael Abercrombie.

Minnie Louie (Jane) Abercrombie
Born	Minnie Johnson 14 November 1909 Birmingham, UK
Died	25 November 1984 (aged 75)
Nationality	British
Alma mater	University of Birmingham
Known for	Dictionary of Biology; New Biology (1945 - 1976)
Spouse(s)	Michael Abercrombie
Scientific career
Fields	Zoology
Institutions	University of Birmingham, UK; University College London, UK
Thesis	Topic: chemical control of respiratory movements in invertebrates (1932)

Early life and education

Minnie Johnson was born on 14 November 1909. She attended Waverley Road Secondary School in Birmingham, where she completed the higher school certificate in chemistry, zoology, botany, and history. She earned her B.Sc. (Zoology, First Class) and Ph.D from the University of Birmingham in 1930 and 1932, respectively; for studying respiration control in invertebrates.[1]

Career

In 1932, she was appointed as a lecturer in the Zoology Department at her alma mater, and during World War II was promoted to acting head. She married Michael Abercrombie in 1939 and collaborated with him extensively on both scientific and outreach work. The couple began a journal called New Biology in 1945, which was aimed at young people and was highly popular, selling hundreds of thousands of copies in its 31-year run. Abercrombie became an authority on medical education later in life, and also published several books.[1]

Selected publications

• Johnson, ML and RJ Whitney (1939) Colorimetric method for estimation of dissolved oxygen in the field. J. Experimental Biology 16 (1) 56 - 59.
• Johnson, ML (1942) The respiratory function of the haemoglobin of the earthworm. J. Experimental Biology 18 (3) 266 - 277.

References

1. Haines, Catharine M.C. (2001). International Women of Science. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-57607-090-5.