Rosalind Venetia Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers FRS ( Henley; 4 March 1907 – 14 January 1990) was a British biochemist. She became the second president of the European Thyroid Association in 1971; she succeeded Jean Roche and was followed by Jack Gross in this position, all three names inextricably linked with the discovery of the thyroid hormone

triiodothyronine Triiodothyronine, also known as T3, is a thyroid hormone. It affects almost every physiological process in the body, including growth and development, metabolism, body temperature, and heart rate. Production of T3 and its prohormone thyroxine ...

(T₃).

Early life and education

Pitt-Rivers was born Rosalind Venetia Henley on 4 March 1907 at 18 Mansfield Street, London, the eldest of four daughters of the Hon. Anthony Morton Henley (1873–1925), a Captain in the

5th Lancers The 5th Royal Irish Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War. It amalgamated with the 16th The Queen's Lancers to become the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922. History Early war ...

, and his wife the Hon. Sylvia Laura Stanley (1882–1980). Her father was the third son of Anthony Henley, 3rd Baron Henley and her mother the daughter of Lord Stanley of Alderley. She was educated at home and later at

Notting Hill High School Notting Hill and Ealing High School is an independent school for girls aged 4 – 18 in Ealing, London. Founded in 1873, it is one of the 26 schools that make up the Girls' Day School Trust. It has a Junior Department of 310 girls (ages 4–11) ...

at the age of thirteen. Her interest in chemistry began at the age of twelve when an uncle gave her a

chemistry set A chemistry set is an educational toy allowing the user (typically a teenager) to perform simple chemistry experiments. History Forerunners The forerunners of the chemistry set were 17th century books on "natural magick", "which all exce ...

. She later studied at Bedford College (University of London), where she was awarded a Bachelor of Science in 1930 with

first class honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

, and an MSc in 1931.

Personal life

In 1931, she married, as his second wife, George Pitt-Rivers (1890–1966), anthropologist and eugenist, one of the richest men in England, and a grandson of

Augustus Pitt Rivers Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers (14 April 18274 May 1900) was an English officer in the British Army, ethnologist, and archaeologist. He was noted for innovations in archaeological met ...

(1827–1900), who founded the anthropology museum named after him in Oxford. She became stepmother to the two boys from his first marriage, Michael and Julian. She gave birth to a son, Anthony Pitt-Rivers, in 1932, but the marriage was dissolved in 1937. During their marriage, her husband had become increasingly pro-eugenics and antisemitic, drawing closer to German

eugenicists Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...

and praising Mussolini and Hitler; by 1940 he was interned under

Defence Regulation 18B Defence Regulation 18B, often referred to as simply 18B, was one of the Defence Regulations used by the British Government during and before the Second World War. The complete name for the rule was Regulation 18B of the Defence (General) Regula ...

Career

After she separated from Pitt-Rivers in 1937, she returned to study and gained a PhD in Biochemistry from University College medical school in 1939. She joined the scientific staff of the

National Institute for Medical Research The National Institute for Medical Research (commonly abbreviated to NIMR), was a medical research institute based in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of north London, England. It was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC); In 2016, the NIMR b ...

(NIMR) in Mill Hill London in 1942, the largest institute of the UK Medical Research Council (MRC). She later became head of the Division of Chemistry, and retired in 1972. After working with Jack Gross on the discovery of the T₃ hormone and publishing their findings in ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...

'' in 1952, she gained international recognition. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1954. In 1973 she was made a fellow of Bedford College, London, in 1983 an honorary fellow of the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. History The Society was established in 1805 as Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, meeting in two rooms in barristers’ chamber ...

, and in 1986 an honorary fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

. Her publications with Jamshed Tata include ''The Thyroid Hormones'' (1959); ''The Chemistry of Thyroid Diseases'' (1960); and (with W. R. Trotter) ''The Thyroid Gland'' (1964).

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt-Rivers, Rosalind 1907 births 1990 deaths Female Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians British biochemists Women biochemists People educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School Alumni of Bedford College, London National Institute for Medical Research faculty Fellows of the Royal Society 20th-century British women scientists