Jean Broadhurst (original) (raw)

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American bacteriologist

Jean Alice Broadhurst
Born (1873-12-29)29 December 1873Stockton, New Jersey
Died 4 September 1954(1954-09-04) (aged 80) [1]
Nationality American
Alma mater Columbia University (B.S. 1903, A.M. 1908),Cornell University (Ph.D. 1914)
Known for detecting the measles virus
Scientific career
Fields botany, bacteriology
Institutions New Jersey State Normal School, Barnard College, Teachers College, Columbia University

Jean Alice Broadhurst (29 December 1873 – 4 September 1954) was an American educator, botanist and bacteriologist, known for her work in detecting the measles virus.

Broadhurst graduated from New Jersey State Normal School in 1892; thereafter joining the school's faculty. She studied at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City; taught in the department of botany and zoology at Barnard College; and in 1906 joined the Teachers College, Columbia University faculty. Broadhurst earned her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1914, and retired as emerita professor at Teachers College, Columbia University in 1939.[2][3]

In November 1937, after more than a year of research, Broadhurst announced the discovery of a method of detecting the measles virus before the appearance of the characteristic rash. Utilising the dye nigrosin, Broadhurst and her team succeeded in staining and therefore making visible the inclusion bodies in the virus. Nose and throat specimens from over 160 measles cases were used in the study, which was described in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.[4]

  1. ^ "Trenton Alumni News: Death". The Signal. Vol. 69, no. 2. 1 October 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via TCNJ Digital Repository.
  2. ^ "State Graduate Succeeds in Isolation Of Virus That is Cause of Measles". The Signal. Vol. 52, no. 7. 18 December 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via TCNJ Digital Repository.
  3. ^ "Broadhurst Awarded Alumni Citation At Recent Reunion Lunch on Campus". The Signal. Vol. 54, no. 15. 23 May 1940. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via TCNJ Digital Repository.
  4. ^ "Doctor Finds Measles Test: Broadhurst of Teacher's College Announces Discovery Which Will Curb Epidemics". Columbia Daily Spectator. Vol. LXI, no. 35. 10 November 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via Columbia University Libraries.