Bella Dytes MacIntosh MacCallum (née Cross, 1886 – 17 March 1927) was a New Zealand and British botanist and mycologist and was New Zealand's first female doctor of science.

Early life and education

MacCallum was born in

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home ...

, New Zealand, the daughter of George and Rebecca Cross. She attended Timaru Girls' High School, then

Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to: * Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S. * Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia * Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada * Canterbury College, Kent, England * Canterbury College, Oxford, Engl ...

, earning a bachelor's degree in 1908 and a master's degree in 1909 with First Class Honours in botany, focussing on halophyte plant adaptations to salty soil. Her master's degree involved field observations and anatomical studies, and compared botanical formations in Christchurch to Timaru. She was awarded a National Research Scholarship, which she used to continue research on wetland plants. She taught at high-schools before she earned her doctorate from the

University of New Zealand The University of New Zealand was New Zealand's sole degree-granting university from 1874 to 1961. It was a collegiate university embracing several constituent institutions at various locations around New Zealand. After it was dissolved in 196 ...

in 1917 with a thesis on ''

Phormium ''Phormium'' is a genus of two plant species in the family Asphodelaceae. One species is endemic to New Zealand and the other is native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. The two species are widely known in New Zealand as flax or their Māori ...

'' (N.Z. flax), titled ''Phormium with Regard to Its Economic Importance''; a work whose origins in 1909 were inspired by the work and advice of Dr Leonard Cockayne. She represented her university in tennis, was a member of the hockey 1st XI, and the Executive of the Students' Association.

Family

In 1915, MacCallum married Lance (Lancelot) Shadwell Jennings, and became known as Bella Jennings. Both were tennis champions and researchers. Captain Jennings was killed on 15 September 1916 at the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

, aged 23. In 1919, she married

Peter MacCallum Sir Peter MacCallum (14 July 1885 – 4 March 1974) was a Scottish-born Australian oncologist and the co-founder and eponym of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Background and early life Peter MacCallum was born in Glasgo ...

St Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 1 ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. She had three daughters from her second marriage.

Career and research

In 1919, MacCallum moved to England, where she studied bacteriology at Cambridge Medical School, then moved to the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, where she researched fungi, specifically timber staining fungi, publishing ''Some Wood-Staining Fungi'' in 1920. She was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1921. Less is known about her life after this point; she moved to Australia when husband Peter MacCallum was elected Chair of Pathology at

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

, and died on 17 March 1927, giving birth to their third daughter, Bella. In 2017, MacCallum featured as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "

150 women in 150 words Fifteen or 15 may refer to: * 15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

" project, celebrating the contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacCallum, Bella 1886 births 1927 deaths 20th-century New Zealand women scientists New Zealand mycologists 20th-century New Zealand botanists Women mycologists Fellows of the Linnean Society of London University of Canterbury alumni University of New Zealand alumni People from Timaru New Zealand emigrants to Australia New Zealand women botanists