Dorothea Annie Hoffert (29 January 1893 – 1969) was a scientist who worked on

aircraft dope Aircraft dope is a plasticised lacquer that is applied to fabric-covered aircraft. It tightens and stiffens fabric stretched over airframes, which renders them airtight and weatherproof, increasing their durability and lifespan.Crane, Dale: '' ...

and later oils and fats at the Lister Institute. The elder daughter of Henry Hoffert, a senior inspector of schools for the Board of Education, she was married to Sir Samuel Bedson FRS with whom she had three sons, the second being the virologist professor

Henry Bedson Henry Samuel Bedson, MD, MRCP (29 September 1929 – 6 September 1978), was a British virologist and head of the Department of Medical Microbiology at Birmingham Medical School, where his research focused on smallpox and monkeypox. He was h ...

Early life and education

Dorothea Annie Hoffert was born on 29 January 1893, in Ealing, to Hermann Henry Hoffert, a senior inspector of schools for the Board of Education, and Annie Ward. She attended Manchester High School for Girls, before gaining admission to study chemistry at Girton in 1910. In 1914, she received her Dip.Ed. from the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, after having transferred there the previous year. Subsequently, she became junior science mistress at Bede School for Girls, Sunderland.

Career

She joined the Food Investigation Board of the

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, abbreviated DSIR was the name of several British Empire organisations founded after the 1923 Imperial Conference to foster intra-Empire trade and development. * Department of Scientific and Industria ...

in 1916, as part of the War effort. She also worked on

and varnishes. After the War, she sat the final exam for painters' oils, colours and varnishes and received the silver medal, following which she returned to Cambridge to study chemistry, this time with a grant.

References

1893 births 1969 deaths British women scientists British women chemists Wives of knights {{UK-chemist-stub