Dorothy Hodgkin
British Biochemist who revolutionized the field of X-ray crystallography by using it to study the 3D structure of proteins. She discovered the crystal structures of Insulin, Penicillin, and Vitamin B12 and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964.
Featuring artwork by Miler Ximeno Lopez & words by Dr. Sumbul Jawed Khan, Sci-Illustrate Stories. Set in motion by Dr. Radhika Patnala.
The beginning of 20th century has witnessed game-changing advances in physical, chemical and biological sciences. As nations were entering unprecedented phases of war, disease epidemics, social upheavals, there was an increased impetus for scientific discovery in unexplored avenues.
The foundation of modern biology was laid down during this phase, and was being gradually shaped by innovations in physics, mathematics and chemistry. X-ray crystallography was one such technique that helped molecular biology advance in profound ways, by letting us understand the structure of Penicillin (Hodgkin, 1946), DNA (Watson and Crick, 1958), hemoglobin (Kendrew & Perutz, 1959), to more recent discoveries of the photosynthetic reaction center (Deisenhofer, Michel and Huber, 1988) and the ribosome (Yonath, Steitz & Ramakrishnan, 2009). All of which was possible due to the outstanding contribution of one lady- Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910- 1994), who laid the foundations of protein crystallography and structural biology.
The making of a scientist- a supportive family and early influences
Dorothy Mary Crowfoot was born in Cairo, Egypt, on May 12th 1910 to John Winter Crowfoot and Grace Mary Crowfoot (Hood). Her father was posted in the Egyptian Education department and her mother was a botanist, who drew illustrations of plant specimens. Dorothy was the eldest of four sisters. Her father’s job took them different countries of Africa and Middle East Asia.
After World War I started the Crowfoot family made some tough choices. Her parents took Dorothy and her sisters to England in 1914 so that they could live with their grandparents. Her parents moved to Sudan, where they lived till her father’s retirement in 1926. This disruption also gave new opportunities of explorations. At age 10 Dorothy visited her parents in Sudan, which exposed her to the diversity in society. This was also a time when her interest in chemistry was ignited after she met Dr. A.F. Joseph, a friend of her parents, who introduced her to minerals and crystals. In England she attended the Sir John Leman Grammar School in Beccles, where she famously fought to be part of a chemistry class that was traditionally reserved just for boys.
In a gap year before beginning college, Dorothy visited her parents in Jerash (now Jordan), where her father was an archeologist and her mother was establishing herself as an expert in textile archeology. Dorothy assisted them in their project, by researching and drawing them mosaic tile patterns from Byzantine churches. Her mother played in important role in shaping her independence and supporting her interests. When Dorothy was 16 her mother gifted a book by Sir William Henry Bragg’s called ‘Concerning the Nature of Things’ (1925), which discussed how x-rays could be used to see atoms and molecules.
Using expertise in X-Ray crystallography to solve protein structure
She started college at Somerville College, Oxford in 1928, and majored in Chemistry. Soon after graduating in 1932, she joined the lab of John Desmond Bernal for Ph. D. at Cambridge University.
Up until then x-ray crystallography was only used to study mineral or inorganic crystal structures. It was Bernal’s idea that the technique can be used to understand structure of biomolecules. But it was Dorothy who painstakingly established the parameters that made it possible to use it. Her imaginative mind with a penchant for understanding patterns around her gave her a unique sensibility of computing information from x-ray data. In addition she devoted hours of hard work to mathematically calculate and derive the contour like diagrams, known as Patterson maps, of protein structure.
Before completing her Ph. D. in 1937, she had already published the crystal structure of the digestive enzyme Pepsin. This landmark paper marked the beginning of protein crystallography, and established Dorothy’s authority over the topic.
“I was captured for life by chemistry and by crystals.”
Balancing home and a career in the early 20th century
In 1937, at the beginning of her career, Dorothy married Thomas Hodgkin. Thomas was an authority in African history and working at the Oxford University. While she was busy with her lab, her husband was usually traveling to Africa for his own research. Thus bringing up their three children was a challenge, but she was able to hire extra help and her parents and in-laws would often step in for support. Such a life style was not the norm in those times when women had more domestic roles, but Dorothy never let her gender come in the way of her scientific goals.
She suffered from ill health from an early age of 26. Soon after the birth of her first child she was struck with rheumatoid arthritis, a progressive disease of the joints. Despite the suffering she never let it come in her way of research and went on to solve many sophisticated structures.
Major discoveries leading to Nobel Prize
Dorothy returned to Oxford University in 1935, and remained there for the rest of her life. Finding job was not easy, with not enough positions or funding for women. But Dorothy acquired a teaching position at her alma mater, Somerville College. She began setting up the X-ray apparatus at the Oxford University, and was provided space in the basement of the university museum. Soon she started working on the structure of Insulin that was being used to treat diabetes, and within a year came up with the first x-ray photograph of Insulin.
However, as World War II was raging there was an urgent thrust to solve the structure of Penicillin. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming and was being used as an antibiotic since 1942. A molecule of Penicillin has 17 atoms and it took her four years to finally discover the structure in 1945.
The next molecular structure that she wanted to tackle was Vitamin B12, the largest and most complex of all vitamins composed of 181 atoms. Deficiency of Vitamin B12 causes pernicious anemia. It took her eight years, and the structure was published in 1955.
Eventually, she resumed her work on Insulin, which with its 788 atoms took the longest. But she deciphered the structure in 1969, after 34 years of hard work! A moment, which she describes as one of the happiest one’s of her life.
She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964 for her achievements, that not only solved some mysteries but help tackle diseases like diabetes, anemia, and infections.
A great advantage of X-ray analysis as a method of chemical structure analysis is its power to show some totally unexpected and surprising structure with, at the same time, complete certainty.
Social activism and an ambassador of peace
Dorothy was vocal against social inequalities. She was concerned about the citizens and scientists living in nations considered adversaries of the U.S. and U.K. (such as Soviet Union, China, Vietnam). She was a strong advocate of nuclear disarmament and fought for the cause as the chair of the Pugwash Conference from 1976–1988. Pugwash is a global organization that works to reduce armed conflicts.
The British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was one of students at the Somerville College. Thatcher had a portrait of Dorothy Hodgkin in her office, and it is reported that she took Dorothy’s advice in scientific and non-scientific matters. She gave away most of her Nobel Prize money to causes such as funding international students study in the U.K. and establishing daycares for college students and staff.
An icon for women in science
Dorothy Hodgkin was one of the few women scientists who could establish a successful career and who gained due recognition. She is the only British woman to have won the Nobel Prize, which is a rare distinction by itself. She has mentored and supported may other female scientists in her lab.
She lived in a conservative society, but never let her life be stereotypical. Perhaps the best reflection of the society appears from the newspaper coverage of her Nobel Prize victory. Leading media houses described her as ‘Housewife’, or ‘Mother’, even the New York Times headlines stated- “British Winner Is a Grandmother; Mrs. Hodgkin Called a Devoted Chemist — Built Lab as Child; Has Three Children. Each Working in a Different Country”!. (Its unthinkable to see any news media label male scientists in anything similar!).
Dorothy Hodgkin was not only transforming the scientific field but also writing a new chapter in women’s liberation by giving them a new role model. It is no wonder that she remains an icon for women scientists all over the world.
Timeline-
1910- Born in Cairo, Egypt, to John Winter Crowfoot and Grace Mary Wood
1914- Moved to England to live with her grandparents along with her sisters
1921- 1928- Attended the Sir John Leman Grammar School, Beccles, England
1928–1932- B.A. from Somerville College, Oxford
1932- 1934- Ph. D. from J. D. Bernal’s lab in Cambridge University
1934- Published first paper on protein crystallography on the structure of Pepsin
1935- Started her own lab at Somerville College, Oxford
1937- Married to Thomas Lionel Hodgkin
1945- Discovered the structure of Penicillin (took 4 yrs)
1946- University lecturer at Oxford University
1954- Discovered the structure of Vitamin B12 (took 8 yrs)
1964- Nobel Prize in Chemistry
1969- Discovered the structure of Insulin (took 34 yrs)
1994- Passed away after a stroke at her home
Further reading:
Papers and correspondence of Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin
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archives.bodleian.ox.ac.uk
https://trowelblazers.com/dorothy-crowfoot-hodgkin/
About the author:
DR. SUMBUL JAWED KHAN
Content Editor,Women In Science, Sci-Illustrate Stories.
Dr. Khan received her Ph. D. in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, where she studied the role of microenvironment in cancer progression and tumor formation. During her post-doctoral research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Khan investigated the gene regulatory networks that are important for tissue regeneration after damage or wounding. Dr. Khan is committed to science outreach activities, to make scientific research understandable and relatable to the non-scientific community. She believes it is essential to inspire young people to apply scientific methods to tackle the current challenges faced by humanity.
About the artist:
MILER XIMENA LÓPEZ
Contributing Artist Women in Science, Sci-Illustrate stories
Expressing myself graphically has always been a source of great satisfaction for me. With my work, I can provide many things to others in different positive ways, as well as get a lot in return, because in every goal achieved, in every process, there is a lot to learn.
About the series:
Not enough can be said about the amazing Women in Science who did and continue to do their part in moving the world forward.
Every month, through the artwork & words of the Sci-Illustrate team, we will bring to you profiles of women who touched our hearts (and brains) with their scientific works, and of many more who currently hold the flag high in their own fields!
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