Jentina E. Leene (5 September 1906 – 28 October 1994) was a Dutch scientist who had an early career in
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
, specifically
carcinology, was a science teacher and then a textile scientist. Her zoological work was highly regarded, especially her doctoral
thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
on the
swimming crabs of the genus ''
Charybdis
Charybdis (; grc, Χάρυβδις, Khárybdis, ; la, Charybdis, ) is a sea monster in Greek mythology. She, with the sea monster Scylla, appears as a challenge to epic characters such as Odysseus, Jason, and Aeneas. Scholarship locates her in t ...
''.
Early career
Leene was born in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
on 5 September 1906. She was educated in Amsterdam, going to
Amsterdam University where she graduated in 1931 with a master's degree in zoology, specialising in
comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species).
The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...
, studying the
heart
The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...
s of
monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...
s from the genus ''
Varanus''. She went on to study for a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
and she chose to study the taxonomy of crabs, probably under the influence of her teacher Professor J.E.W. Ihle who was working on the specimens collected by the
Siboga expedition of 1899-1900. He allocated the swimming crabs,
Portunidae, to Leene who attempted to write a
monograph
A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject.
In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
of the family and visited a number of museums in the Netherlands and abroad in the course of this work. Her thesis was published in 1930, proving to be a thorough treatment of the swimming crabs of the genus ''Charybdis'' and some other smaller genera of the family Portunidae, she hoped to complete a monograph of the family over subsequent years. Leene was awarded her doctoral degree ''cum laude'' on 22 June 1938 and her thesis is still considered as an important work for workers on the Portunidae.
Teaching
The economic situation in the 1930s meant that Leene could not continue her zoology career and to make ends meet she became a high school biology teacher, teaching at a number of schools in different towns in order to gate an income she could survive on. This left little time for her to continue her studies in carcinology. On 15 October 1939 she was appointed as a teacher of biology at a girls' school for technical education in
Arnhem, while having another job teaching in
Haarlem
Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...
. When a teacher specialising in textile fibre research left Leene was asked to take that subject on too. She became interested and proficient in this subject ad in 1945 she was appointed as a curator in the Division of Fibre Technology in the Department of Mechanical Technology of
''Technische Hogeschool Delft'' (Delft Institute of Technology).
[
]
Resumption of science career
Her teaching work between 1938 and 1945 had left her little time for scientific research but she renewed her career, this time in the field of fibre technology. Leene was appointed a lecturer in fibre technology as Delft University and was later appointed a full professor, eventually retiring in 1971.[
Leene published a carcinological paper in 1949 in collaboration with Miss A.M. Buitendijk in which she described 3 new species. This was in a special edition of '' Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde'' to celebrate the 70th birthdays of Professor Ihle and another of her teachers, Professor L.F. de Beaufort who had been director of the ]Zoological Museum of Amsterdam
The Zoological Museum Amsterdam (ZMA) was a natural history museum located close to Oosterpark in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was part of the Faculty of Science, Mathematics and Computer Science (Science) of the University of Amsterdam.
It was o ...
. The paper was severely edited but the renowned carcinologist Lipke Holthuis found the full manuscript among Miss Buitendijk's papers following her death in 1950. With Leene's help he published the remainder of the paper in 1952.[
]
Retirement
Leene retired from her position at the Delft University of Technology in 1971 and she retired to the town of Voorschoten
Voorschoten () is a village and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a smaller town in the Randstad, enclosed by the cities of Leiden, Wassenaar and The Hague. The municipality covers an area of of whi ...
where she lived in an apartment in a retirement home with a friend until her death in 1996 at the age of 88.
Publications
Zoology
In her carcinological career Leene published the following:
Conservation and restoration of textiles
*Sieders, R., J. W. H. Uytenbogaart, and J. E. Leene, "The restoration and preservation of old fabrics", Studies in conservation, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 161–169, 1956
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leene, Jentina E.
20th-century Dutch zoologists
Dutch carcinologists
1906 births
1994 deaths
20th-century Dutch women scientists