Anna MacGillivray Macleod DSc (15 May 1917 – 13 August 2004) was a Scottish
biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...
and
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
, an authority on
brewing
Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...
and
distilling
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heat ...
. She was a professor at
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...
in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
. She was the world's first female Professor of Brewing and Biochemistry.
Family
Born in
Kirkhill Kirkhill or Kirkhills may refer to a number of places.
In Canada:
* Kirkhill, Nova Scotia
* Kirkhill, Ontario, an area of North Glengarry
In Northern Ireland:
* Kirkhills, a townland in County Antrim
In Scotland:
*Kirkhill industrial estate, near ...
, she was the daughter of Margaret Ingram Sangster and Rev. Alasdair MacGillivray Macleod, who both graduated from Aberdeen University in 1. Her family lineage traces to the
Isle of Lewis
The Isle of Lewis ( gd, Eilean Leòdhais) or simply Lewis ( gd, Leòdhas, ) is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as ...
, where her grandfather, Rev. George Macleod, was the Minister of
Garrabost. Her father was born on the
Isle of Lewis
The Isle of Lewis ( gd, Eilean Leòdhais) or simply Lewis ( gd, Leòdhas, ) is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as ...
. She was second cousin to politician and former
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
,
Iain Norman Macleod. Her family belongs to the branch of the
Macleod
MacLeod, McLeod and Macleod ( ) which cited: are surnames in the English language.
Generally, the names are considered to be Anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic ', meaning "son of '".
One of the earliest occurrences of the surname is of Gi ...
s of Pabbay and Uig.
Her father, Rev. Alasdair MacGillivray Macleod, was a Minister of the Church, died at an early age. He and her mother, Margaret Ingram Sangster were both in 1914 graduates of Aberdeen University. Her two brothers were both doctors of medicine: her elder brother was
John George Macleod
John George Macleod (8 May 1915 in Kirkhill – 4 April 2006 in Edinburgh) was a Scottish doctor of medicine and an author of medical textbooks.
Family
Macleod was the elder brother of Professor Dr Anna MacGillivray Macleod, the world famous pr ...
, editor of ''
Davidson's Textbook of Medicine'' and the author of ''
Macleod's Clinical Examination'', and her younger brother was Alasdair MacGillivray Macleod, a
general practitioner in
Linlithgow
Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...
.''
Education and profession
Macleod was educated at
Invergordon Academy
Invergordon (; gd, Inbhir Ghòrdain or ) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen.
History
The town built up around the harbour which was established in 1828. The area beca ...
and
Edinburgh Ladies' College
The Mary Erskine School, popularly known as "Mary Erskine's" or "MES", is an all-girls independent secondary school in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1694 and has a roll of around 750 pupils. It is the sister school of the all-boys Stewa ...
. In 1939 she graduated from
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
with a
BSc
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
with honours in
botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
. She joined the faculty of
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...
in 1945, where she remained until her retirement in 1977. She returned in 1951 to the University of Edinburgh to study for her PhD. In the late 1960s, she was awarded a
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...
, from the university, for a thesis on the germination of
barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...
.
In 1961, together with Leslie Samuel Cobley, she co-edited "Contemporary Botanical Thought", published by Oliver and Boyd. She edited the ''Journal of the Institute of Brewing'' from 1964 to 1976, and she was the first female President of that organisation (now the
Institute of Brewing and Distilling
The Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) is an industry trade association for brewers and distillers, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. The IBD had its headquarters at Clarges Street in London London until 2014 at which t ...
), from 1970 to 1972. In 1975, she was appointed Professor of Brewing at Heriot-Watt University. In 1976, she was the recipient of the
Horace Brown medal. She retired in 1977, as
professor emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
.
In 1993, Heriot-Watt University awarded her an
honorary Doctorate of Science
for her discovery of
gibberellic acid
Gibberellic acid (also called gibberellin A3, GA, and GA3) is a hormone found in plants and fungi. Its chemical formula is C19H22O6. When purified, it is a white to pale-yellow solid.
Plants in their normal state produce large amounts of GA3. It ...
, which was an advantage for the
maltster
Malting is the process of steeping, germinating and drying grain to convert it into malt. The malt is mainly used for brewing or whisky making, but can also be used to make malt vinegar or malt extract. Various grains are used for malting, most ...
s, as it shortened the
malting
Malting is the process of steeping, germinating and drying grain to convert it into malt. The malt is mainly used for brewing or whisky making, but can also be used to make malt vinegar or malt extract. Various grains are used for malting, most ...
process.
[ At that occasion, the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Philip G. Harper, mentioned that Macleod's association with the brewing industry puts her in the same fraternity as other scientists, such as ]James Watt
James Watt (; 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS) – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fun ...
(power
Power most often refers to:
* Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work"
** Engine power, the power put out by an engine
** Electric power
* Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events
** Abusive power
Power may a ...
), Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the latter of which was named afte ...
(pasteurisation
Pasteurization or pasteurisation is a process of food preservation in which packaged and non-packaged foods (such as milk and fruit juices) are treated with mild heat, usually to less than , to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life.
Th ...
), Peter Griess
Johann Peter Griess (6 September 1829 – 30 August 1888) was an industrial chemist and an early pioneer of organic chemistry. Griess was influential in the formation of modern dyes, first formulating the diazotization reaction of arylamines.
Li ...
( colour chemistry), Joseph Williams Lovibond
Joseph Williams Lovibond (17 November 1833 – 21 April 1918) was a British brewer who developed the world's first practical colorimeter as a means of ensuring the high quality of his beer. He was the originator of the Degrees Lovibond
When dr ...
( colour physics), Gosset
Gosset, founded in 1584, is the oldest wine house in Champagne. In 1584, Pierre Gosset, alderman of Aÿ and wine-grower, made still, mostly red, wines from the grapes he harvested from his own vines. In those days, two wines vied for pride of pl ...
(statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...
) and the man after whom the medal was named. He said that she was recognised nationally and internationally with distinction as a university teacher, scholar, scientist, technologist and as a brewer.[Heriot-Watt University](_blank)
retrieved 1 April 2013
One of her PhD students, Geoff Palmer, first worked with her on the research of barley and they published numerous papers together. He then became her successor at the Heriot-Watt University and in 2021 became the Chancellor of the same university.
Death and legacy
Anna Macleod died at St Raphaels, Edinburgh on 13 August 2004.
Heriot-Watt University's Edinburgh campus has a residence hall named in her honour.
Heriot-Watt University's International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD), as it is now called, started the Anna Macleod Scholarship with a financial gift she had bequeathed to that University in her will.
References
Sources
* The Macleods - The Genealogy of a Clan, Section Four by Alick Morrison, M.A., by Associated Clan Macleod Societies, Edinburgh, 1974
* The MacLeods - The Genealogy of a Clan, Section Four by The Late Major Loudoun Hector Davenport MacLeod, RM, 1988
External links
Anna MacGillivray Macleod
Heriot-Watt University and Anna MacGillivray Macleod
Prof. Dr. Anna M. Macleod obituary in Scotsman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macleod, Anna
1917 births
2004 deaths
People educated at the Mary Erskine School
Academics of Heriot-Watt University
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish biochemists
Scottish women scientists
20th-century British women scientists
Women biochemists
Scottish women academics