Rosalind Venetia Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers FRS ( Henley; 4 March 1907 – 14 January 1990) was a British

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

. She became the second president of the European Thyroid Association in 1971; she succeeded Jean Roche and was followed by Jack Gross in this position, all three names inextricably linked with the discovery of the thyroid hormone

triiodothyronine Triiodothyronine, also known as T3, is a thyroid hormone. It affects almost every physiological process in the body, including growth and development, metabolism, body temperature, and heart rate. Production of T3 and its prohormone thyroxi ...

(T₃).

Early life and education

Pitt-Rivers was born Rosalind Venetia Henley on 4 March 1907 at 18 Mansfield Street, London, the eldest of four daughters of the Hon. Anthony Morton Henley, a Captain in the 5th Lancers, and his wife the Hon. Sylvia Laura Stanley. Her father was the third son of

Anthony Henley, 3rd Baron Henley Anthony Henley Henley, 3rd Baron Henley, 1st Baron Northington (''né'' Eden; 12 April 1825 – 27 November 1898) was a British peer and Liberal Member of Parliament. Early life and education Henley was born Anthony Eden, the son of Hon. Robe ...

and her mother the daughter of Lord Stanley of Alderley. She was educated at home and later at Notting Hill High School at the age of thirteen. Her interest in chemistry began at the age of twelve when an uncle gave her a

chemistry set A chemistry set is an educational toy allowing the user (typically a teenager) to perform simple chemistry experiments. History Forerunners The forerunners of the chemistry set were 17th-century books on "natural magick", "which all excelle ...

. She later studied at Bedford College (

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

), where she was awarded a Bachelor of Science in 1930 with

first class honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied, sometimes with significant var ...

and an MSc in 1931.

Career

After she separated from Pitt-Rivers in 1937, she returned to study and gained a PhD in biochemistry from University College medical school in 1939. She joined the scientific staff of the

National Institute for Medical Research The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), was a medical research institute based in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of north London, England. It was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC); In 2016, the NIMR became part of the new F ...

(NIMR) in Mill Hill London in 1942, the largest institute of the UK Medical Research Council (MRC). She later became head of the Division of Chemistry, and retired in 1972. After working with Jack Gross on the discovery of the T₃ hormone and publishing their findings in ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and also one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes ...

'' in 1952, she gained international recognition. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1954. In 1973 she was made a fellow of Bedford College, London, in 1983 an honorary fellow of the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton. History The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...

, and in 1986 an honorary fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

. Her publications with Jamshed Tata include ''The Thyroid Hormones'' (1959); ''The Chemistry of Thyroid Diseases'' (1960); and (with W. R. Trotter) ''The Thyroid Gland'' (1964).

Personal life

In 1931, she married, as his second wife, George Pitt-Rivers (1890–1966), anthropologist and

eugenicist Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetics, genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human Phenotype, phenotypes by ...

, one of the richest men in England and a grandson of

Augustus Pitt Rivers Lieutenant General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers (14 April 18274 May 1900) was an English officer in the British Army, ethnologist, and archaeologist. He was noted for innovations in archaeological methodology, and in the museum display ...

(1827–1900), who founded the anthropology museum named after him in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. She became stepmother to the two sons from his first marriage,

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

and Julian. She gave birth to a son, Anthony Pitt-Rivers, in 1932, but the marriage was dissolved in 1937. During their marriage, her husband had become increasingly pro-eugenics and

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

, drawing closer to German eugenicists and praising

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 194 ...

and

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

; by 1940 he was interned under

Defence Regulation 18B Defence Regulation 18B, often referred to as simply 18B, was one of the Defence Regulations used by the British Government during and before the Second World War. The complete name for the rule was Regulation 18B of the Defence (General) Regula ...

. She died on 14 January 1990, aged 82, at Hinton St Mary,

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, England.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt-Rivers, Rosalind 1907 births 1990 deaths Female fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians British biochemists British women biochemists People educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School Alumni of Bedford College, London National Institute for Medical Research faculty Fellows of the Royal Society 20th-century British women scientists 20th-century British chemists 20th-century biochemists 20th-century British biologists Pitt-Rivers family