Rosalind Mary Maskell (née Rewcastle; 12 June 1928 – 7 September 2016) was an English

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of par ...

known for her work on

urinary tract infection A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that affects part of the urinary tract. When it affects the lower urinary tract it is known as a bladder infection (cystitis) and when it affects the upper urinary tract it is known as a kidne ...

Biography

Maskell was born in London in 1928 to

Cuthbert Snowball Rewcastle Cuthbert Snowball Rewcastle (21 February 1888 – 8 June 1962), was a British judge and Liberal Party politician. Background He was born the son of Cuthbert Rewcastle JP. He was educated at Rugby School and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1918 h ...

, a judge, and

Attracta Rewcastle Attracta Genevieve Rewcastle (née Candon, 1897 – 18 February 1951) was a doctor, politician, and the first female Commissioned Officer in the Royal Navy. Born in County Roscommon, Ireland, Rewcastle attended University College Dublin where she s ...

, a doctor and the first female commissioned officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

. She attended

Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School (TWGGS), established in 1905, is an all-female selective school in Royal Tunbridge Wells, a town in Kent, England. The "eleven plus" examination represents the main entrance criterion, along with residence ...

and

Millfield Millfield is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) located in Street, Somerset, England. It was founded in 1935. Millfield is a registered charity and is the largest co-educational boarding sch ...

before studying medicine at

Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Dorothy Hodgkin, Ir ...

, graduating with a BA in

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 chemic ...

in 1950. She completed her clinical training at

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...

in London and qualified as

MB ChB Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

in 1953. After marrying John Maskell, a general practitioner, in 1954, she left medical practice for 14 years in order to raise a family. Maskell returned to medical practice in 1968, as a clinical assistant in the renal unit and public health laboratory at St Mary's Hospital in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

. There, she developed an interest in

s, which became the focus of her career. She investigated women who experienced urinary symptoms but whose tests did not show

bacteriuria Bacteriuria is the presence of bacteria in urine. Bacteriuria accompanied by symptoms is a urinary tract infection while that without is known as asymptomatic bacteriuria. Diagnosis is by urinalysis or urine culture. ''Escherichia coli'' is the ...

and were therefore diagnosed with

urethral syndrome Urethral syndrome is defined as symptoms suggestive of a lower urinary tract infection but in the absence of significant bacteriuria with a conventional pathogen. It is a diagnosis of exclusion in patients with dysuria and frequency ''without'' d ...

interstitial cystitis Interstitial cystitis (IC), a type of bladder pain syndrome (BPS), is chronic pain in the bladder and pelvic floor of unknown cause. It is the urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome of women. Symptoms include feeling the need to urinate right a ...

. She showed that these patients' urine cultures often grew bacteria that were usually dismissed as natural flora, and hypothesised that repeated antibiotic exposure caused these "normal" urethral bacteria to develop resistance. She set up a clinic for urinary tract infections, where she promoted research and discouraged the use of antibiotics and unnecessary investigations. Maskell published two books: ''Urinary tract infection'' (1982) and ''Urinary tract infection in clinical and laboratory practice'' (1988). Her honors included a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degre ...

awarded by the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

in 1985 and election as

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 ...

in 1992. She retired in 1993, although she continued to publish academic papers until 2010, and died on 7 September 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maskell, Rosalind 1928 births 2016 deaths English microbiologists Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians People educated at Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School People educated at Millfield Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford