Roberts Rugh, Ph.D. (16 April 1903 – 11 November 1978), radiation biologist and

embryologist Embryology (from Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, ''-logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes (sex cells), fertilization, and development of embryos and ...

Life

Roberts Rugh was born to Arthur and Gertrude (Roberts) Rugh in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

on April 16, 1903, and died on 11 November 1978 in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

. Rugh married Harriette Sheldon on July 24, 1926, and the couple had two children, Mary Elizabeth (Rugh) Downs and William Arthur.

Education

Rugh earned his A.B. (1926) from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

and his M.A. (1927) and Ph.D. (1935) from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Professional career

Roberts Rugh began his professional career as a faculty member at

Lawrence College Lawrence College may refer to: * Lawrence College Ghora Gali, a boarding school in Punjab, Pakistan * Lawrence University, a private liberal arts college in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States, named "Lawrence College" from 1913 until 1964 * Sarah L ...

(1927-1928) and went on to teach at

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

(1929-1939) and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

(1939-1948) before moving to

. At Columbia, Rugh joined the Radiological Research Laboratory, College of Physicians and Surgeons. Here, he served as a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

Radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide treatment within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiation), but tod ...

(1948-1971) in addition to directing research on the effects of

ionizing radiation Ionizing (ionising) radiation, including Radioactive decay, nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have enough energy per individual photon or particle to ionization, ionize atoms or molecules by detaching ...

(1948-1971) and serving as a senior medical consultant and lecturer (1971-1978). Rugh devoted many of his research pursuits in the field of

embryology Embryology (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, ''-logy, -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the Prenatal development (biology), prenatal development of gametes (sex ...

and published many papers and wrote several books on this topic.Rugh, Roberts, et al. "Responses of the mouse to microwave radiation during estrous cycle and pregnancy." Radiation Research 62.2 (1975): 225-241.

Selected publications involving radiation

* Rugh, Roberts. "Developmental Effects Resulting from Exposure to X-Rays: I. Effect on the Embryo of Irradiation of Frog Sperm." ''Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society''. (1939): 447–471. * Rugh, Roberts, and Frank Exner. "Developmental effects resulting from exposure to X-rays. II. Development of leopard frog eggs activated by bullfrog sperm." ''Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society''. (1940): 607–619. * Rugh, Roberts (1949). "Histological effects on the embryo following X‐irradiation." ''Journal of Morphology''. (85)3: 483–501. * Rugh, Roberts (1951). "The mouse thyroid and radioactive iodine (I131)." ''Journal of Morphology''. (89)2: 323–365. * Rugh, Roberts, and Joan Wolff. (1955). "Reparation of the fetal eye following radiation insult." ''AMA Archives of Ophthalmology''. (54)3: 351–359. * Rugh, Roberts, and Helen Clugston. (1956). "Protection of mouse fetus against X-irradiation death." ''Science''. (123)3184: 28–29. * Rugh, Roberts, and Sylvia Jackson. (1958). "Effect of fetal x‐irradiation upon the subsequent fertility of the offspring." ''Journal of Experimental Zoology''. (138)2: 209–221. * Rugh, Roberts (1958). "X-irradiation effects on the human fetus." ''The Journal of Pediatrics''. (52)5: 531–538. * Rugh, Roberts, and Erika Grupp. (1959). "Response of the very early mouse embryo to low levels of ionizing radiations." ''Journal of Experimental Zoology''. (141)3: 571–587. * Rugh, Roberts, and Erika Grupp. (1959). "Exencephalia Following X-Irradiation of the Pre-Implantation Mammallan Embryo." ''Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology''. (18)3: 468–481. * Rugh, Roberts, and Erika Grupp. (1960). "Fractionated x-irradiation of the mammalian embryo and congenital anomalies." ''The American Journal of Roentgenology, Radium Therapy, and Nuclear Medicine''. (84): 125–144. * Rugh, Roberts, and Marlis Wohlfromm. (1962). "Can the mammalian embryo be killed by X‐irradiation?." ''Journal of Experimental Zoology''. (151)3): 227–243. * Rugh, Roberts, et al. (1963). "X-rays: are there cyclic variations in radiosensitivity?." ''Science''. (142)3588: 53–56. * Rugh, Roberts. (1964). "Why radiobiology?." ''Radiology''. (82)5: 917–920. * Rugh, Roberts, et al. (1964). "Persistent stunting following x‐irradiation of the fetus." ''American Journal of Anatomy''. (115)1: 185–197. * Rugh, Roberts, et al. (1964). "Cataract development after embryonic and fetal x-irradiation." ''Radiation Research''. (22)3: 519–534. * Rugh, Roberts, and Marlis Wohlfromm. (1965). "Prenatal X-irradiation and postnatal mortality." ''Radiation Research''. (26)4: 493–506. * Rugh, Roberts (1965). "Effect of ionizing radiations, including radioisotopes, on the placenta and embryo." ''Birth Defects, Orig. Article Ser. 1''. * Rugh, Roberts, Marlis Wohlfromm, and Andre Varma. (1969). "Low-dose X-ray effects on the precleavage mammalian zygote." ''Radiation Research''. (37)2: 401–414. * Rugh, Roberts, et al. (1975). "Responses of the mouse to microwave radiation during estrous cycle and pregnancy." ''Radiation Research''. (62)2: 225–241.

Noted books

Rugh also wrote a number of books, including: * ''The Frog: Its Reproduction and Development'' (1951) * ''Experimental Embryology'' (1962) * ''The Dynamics of Development'' (1964) * ''The Mouse: Its Reproduction and Development'' (1967) * ''A Laboratory Manual of Vertebrate Embryology'' (1971)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rugh, Roberts 1903 births 1978 deaths Radiobiologists American embryologists Health physicists Oberlin College alumni Columbia University alumni