Vox Meditantis

Anna Kingsford (1846-1888) was one of the first English women to obtain a medical degree, graduating from the University of Paris in 1880 without animal experimentation. Her groundbreaking work on vegetarian nutrition and opposition to vivisection challenged medical orthodoxy, leading to systematic neglect by the establishment despite her remarkable achievements.

Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw (1912-2014) overcame deafness and systemic discrimination to revolutionise mathematics, solving ancient magic square problems that had puzzled scholars for millennia. Despite groundbreaking contributions and advising Thatcher’s government, this brilliant mathematician remains shamefully overlooked – a victim of prejudice against women, disabled scientists, and those balancing academic and…

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner (1912-2006) holds the record as America’s most patented African-American woman with five groundbreaking inventions. Her revolutionary adjustable sanitary belt preceded modern menstrual products, transforming women’s lives worldwide. Despite facing devastating racial discrimination that cost her deserved recognition and financial rewards, her innovations fundamentally improved millions’ lives.

Harriet Brooks, Canada’s first female nuclear physicist, made groundbreaking discoveries in radioactivity research alongside Ernest Rutherford, including identifying radon gas and atomic recoil. Despite Rutherford comparing her brilliance to Marie Curie, institutional discrimination forced her to abandon science upon marriage. Her crucial contributions were absorbed into colleagues’ work without recognition.