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Emmeline Jean Hanson (14 November 1919 – 10 August 1973) was a
biophysicist
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...
and
zoologist
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 kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...
known for her contributions to muscle research.
Hanson gained her
PhD in zoology from
Bedford College, University of London before spending the majority of her career at a biophysics research unit at
King's College London, where she was a founder member, and later its second Head. While working at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, she, with
Hugh Huxley
Hugh Esmor Huxley MBE FRS (25 February 1924 – 25 July 2013) was a British molecular biologist who made important discoveries in the physiology of muscle. He was a graduate in physics from Christ's College, Cambridge. However, his education ...
, discovered the
mechanism of movement of muscle fibre in 1954, which came to known as "sliding filament theory". This was a groundbreaking research in muscle physiology, and for this
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nicknamed her "Mrs Muscle" on the 50th anniversary of the discovery.
Early life
Hanson was born on 14 November 1919 in
Newhall, Derbyshire
Newhall is a suburban settlement located in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire, England. As of the 2011 census it had a population of 776. The village of Stanton is nearby.
Newhall village
A commuter settlement between Swadlincote and Burton upon Tre ...
, England, the only child of Tom and Emily Hanson. Her parents were both school teachers. She was raised solely by her mother after her father died of a
brain tumour soon after her birth. Through her mother's active encouragement, Hanson developed a keen interest in
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
and
the arts
The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
. She attended the Girl's High School in
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2011, it had a population of 72,299. The ...
from 1930 to 1938. At around the age of fifteen, while attending the Girl's High School, she developed her interest in
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
. At the end of
sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
, she took the
Higher School Certificate gaining distinction in English,
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 ...
and zoology. At the end of
sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
, she took the
Higher School Certificate gaining distinction in English,
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 ...
and zoology. She was awarded a
scholarship
A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need.
Scholars ...
to attend Bedford College London after taking its entrance examination in botany, zoology and
physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
.
Hanson began at Bedford College in 1938, taking its Intermediate Examination in zoology, botany,
chemistry and physiology the following year, graduating 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 ...
in zoology with a
minor in botany in 1941. As a post-graduate research student, Hanson began studying the
vascular system
The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...
of
annelids
The annelids (Annelida , from Latin ', "little ring"), also known as the segmented worms, are a large phylum, with over 22,000 extant species including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to various ecolog ...
. However this research was interrupted between 1942–44 when Bedford College were evacuated to
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
due to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. During two years at Cambridge, she worked at the Strangeways Laboratory on the
histogenesis Histogenesis is the formation of different tissues from undifferentiated cells. These cells are constituents of three primary germ layers, the endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm. The science of the microscopic structures of the tissues formed wi ...
and differentiation of
epidermis. Between 1944 and 1948 she worked as demonstrator in zoology.
Career
Jean Hanson joined the King's College London in 1948 in the newly established Biophysics Department. The department was under John Randall, who invited her to establish the biological section. She worked on muscle fibres and obtained her PhD in 1951. In February 1953 she went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
with a one-year Rockefeller Fellowship
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Ca ...
and joined a fellow English postdoc Hugh Huxley
Hugh Esmor Huxley MBE FRS (25 February 1924 – 25 July 2013) was a British molecular biologist who made important discoveries in the physiology of muscle. He was a graduate in physics from Christ's College, Cambridge. However, his education ...
to work in F. O. Schmitt's laboratory. Together they discovered the so-called "sliding filament theory", the underpinning idea on muscle contraction. Their publication in the 22 May 1954 issue of ''Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
'' became a landmark in muscle physiology. They provided the strong evidence for the theory in 1956, in which they showed electron microscopic details of the shortening and elongation of muscle fibres against each other. Even then the theory was not easily embraced, even in 1960 at a symposium of biomacromolecules held in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, Pasadena, scientists including the Nobel laureate Paul Flory argued against the sliding process. Hanson was remembered reacting, "I know I cannot explain the mechanism yet, but the sliding is a fact." After their work in US, Hanson and Huxley decided to separate their lines of muscle research, and Hanson took up those of invertebrate animals. In 1966 she became full Professor of Biology at King's. In 1970, she succeeded Randall as Director of the Biophysics Unit, where she remained until her death in 1973.[
]
Honours
Jean Hanson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...
in 1967.[
]
Personal life and death
Jean Hanson was very unlike the other members of the King's, who were famous for their antagonism among themselves. She was generous, open-minded, and most of all, eager to help young researchers. She was known as 'Jean' to all. (She never used her first name, even in her publications.) Huxley noted that since their research area overlapped there could have been serious conflict as they worked in different institutes. Foreseeing this Hanson chose to work only in invertebrate animals, and to such sensible and modest decision Huxley remarked: Would that it was always so!
She died in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on 10 August 1973 from a rare brain infection, meningococcal septicaemia
Meningococcal disease describes infections caused by the bacterium '' Neisseria meningitidis'' (also termed meningococcus). It has a high mortality rate if untreated but is vaccine-preventable. While best known as a cause of meningitis, it can a ...
.
References
External links
The National Archives documentsKing's College London collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, Jean
1919 births
1973 deaths
Alumni of Bedford College, London
Alumni of King's College London
Academics of King's College London
English biophysicists
20th-century British zoologists
British women biologists
Fellows of the Royal Society
Female Fellows of the Royal Society
Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty
20th-century British women scientists
People from Newhall, Derbyshire