Publisher's Synopsis
This book focuses on a group of women who have made significant contributions to the field of physiology, many being awarded public honours for their achievements. Included are individual biographies, highlighting their scientific research and presenting extracts from original papers, together with a commentary for those readers who are not experts in the field.;The book begins with an historical description of the early difficulties experienced by the women in obtaining a university education, and, later, entering scientific careers and becoming accepted as members of the Physiological Society. Later chapters consider the barriers some women faced in the workplace, including lack of funding and availability of research posts. The book concludes with a brief look at the situation for contemporary female scientists, and poses the question "Is it much better than for their predecessors?".;Most of the contributors to the book are actively engaged in research and have careers with several features in common with their biographical subjects. As practising scientists, their viewpoints inevitably differ from those of social scientists and historians. However, the material they present will provide the stimulus for further complementary and contextual analyses. This is a fascinating account, not only for physiologists, male and female, but also for others interested in the history of science and those concerned with the roles of women in science and in society.
