Mary Amdur
Mary Amdur | |
---|---|
Born | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US | February 18, 1921
Died | February 16, 1998 | (aged 76)
Nationality | American |
Education | Chemistry (BSc.) at University of Pittsburgh; Biochemistry (Ph.D.) at Cornell University |
Known for | Toxicology research into 1948 Donora smog |
Spouse | Benjamin Amdur |
Children | 1-David Amdur |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Toxicology |
Institutions | Harvard University; MIT; New York University |
Thesis | Role of Manganese and Choline in Bone Formation in the Rat |
Mary Ochsenhirt Amdur (February 18, 1921 – February 16, 1998) was an American
Early life
Mary Amdur was born in 1921 in
Research
The
"The trouble with this branch of medical science is that it is always tied up more or less with somebody's pocketbook—Maybe the companies, maybe the insurance people, maybe the doctor in charge ... Looked at that way, realize that Philip Drinker has wife and children who are 'hostages ... to fortune, an impediment to all great enterprises, whether good or evil'"
Personal note from Alice Hamilton to Mary Amdur after she was fired.[4]
Amdur presented the results of the experiment, that inhaling the combination mist led to dramatic effects on breathing, loss of weight and lung disease,[5] to the American Association for the Advancement of Science at their annual meeting in December 1953.[3][4] She then wrote a damning paper on the effects of lower levels of sulfuric acid on human volunteers, levels similar to those of the 1948 smog. The paper, and her attempt to present the associated findings to the American Industrial Hygiene Association, caused her many difficulties.[3] Amdur was accosted and threatened by two thugs in an elevator at the association's 1954 annual meeting. She presented the findings regardless.[4] As Drinker received funding from ASARCO, the company's management assumed that they would hold sway over what was published. When Amdur returned from the meeting, Drinker demanded that Amdur remove her name from the paper and to withdraw it from The Lancet, despite the fact it had already been accepted. Amdur refused Drinker's demands, so her position on his staff was removed and she was left to find new work.[4] The paper was never published.[4]
She quickly found a new untenured research associate role under
Awards
In 1953, Amdur was inducted as a member of Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health.[6] In 1974, she received the Donald E. Cummings Memorial Award from the American Industrial Hygiene Association in recognition of her lifetime contributions and application of her knowledge in the field.[7][8][9] The American Academy of Industrial Hygiene Council awarded her the Henry F. Smyth Jr. Award in 1984 for identifying and fulfilling research needs within the industrial hygiene profession.[7][10] In 1986, she received the Inhalation Specialty Section's Career Achievement Award from the Society of Toxicology.[7][11] She received the Herbert E. Stockinger Award from the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists in 1989.[7][12] In 1988 she gained, the Mid-Atlantic Section, Society of Toxicology Ambassador Award.[12] Then in 1997, she was awarded the Merit Award from the same society, in celebration of her achievements throughout her life and her contributions to Toxicology.[7][12][13][14]
Death and legacy
"At every step along the way, people tried to pull the rug out from under her. In fact, she got it right years before the rest of us. The world only caught up with her several decades later, by which time so many people had confirmed what she found that it could no longer be discounted."
John Spengler[2]
Amdur died on February 16, 1998, of a heart attack while returning from a holiday in Hawaii.[7][15] At least three societies wrote obituaries[7][3][12] and a toxicology book was dedicated to her memory.[15] A Society of Toxicology Award was set up in her name by students and colleagues. The award, the Mary Amdur Student Award is presented annually at the meeting of the Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section.[16] She is considered the "mother of smog research"[17] and her work had "a major role in the development of air pollution standards."[7]
References
- ISBN 9780837904092. Archivedfrom the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 9780813571768. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ PMID 10869448.
- ^ ISBN 0465015220.
- PMID 13167274.
- ^ "National membership list". Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ The Harvard University Gazette. February 26, 1998. Archivedfrom the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ "AIHA awards and honors: Donald E. Cummings memorial award". American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "Donald E. Cummings memorial award". American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "Henry F. Smyth Jr. award". American Industrial Hygiene Association. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "The twenty-sixth year of the society" (PDF). Society of Toxicology. 1987. pp. 3–4. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Costa, Daniel (1998). "In memoriam: Mary O. Amdur, Ph.D" (PDF). Society of Toxicology Communique: 14–16. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ "SOT honor and award descriptions" (PDF). Society of Toxicology. 2007. p. 245. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ISBN 9789401152082. Archivedfrom the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ a b Klaassen, Curtis D., ed. (July 27, 2001). Casarett & Doull's toxicology: the basic science of poisons (PDF) (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ "Endowment fund resolution approval: Creation of Mary Amdur Student Award Fund" (PDF). Society of Toxicology. October 30, 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ Wittner, Lawrence S. (April 16, 2014). "Review of Robert K. Musil's "Rachel Carson and her sisters: extraordinary women who have shaped America's environment"". History News Network. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.