Miriam Rothschild Biography

Miriam Rothschild's best-known work has been in the fields of entomology and parasitology, and she is considered the world's foremost authority on fleas. Although she has made numerous scientific contributions in such fields as marine biology, chemistry, horticulture, and zoology, her scientific background is unorthodox. Rothschild, though widely respected for her work and extensive knowledge of fleas, was never formally educated in these fields. In fact, her scientific endeavors are wholly a result of a natural curiosity about the physical world and the encouraging atmosphere of learning she grew up in.

Miriam Louisa Rothschild was born into the famed Rothschild banking family on August 5, 1908, at Ashton Wold, her parents' estate near Peterborough, England. The oldest of four children of Nathaniel Charles and Rozsika von Wertheimstein Rothschild, her own grandfather was the first Baron Rothschild. Although Nathaniel Charles Rothschild, her father, was a banker by profession, he was a zoologist by avocation; he founded the Society for the Promotion of Nature Preserves, and he studied moths, butterflies, and fleas for years. Rozsika Rothschild, her mother, was Hungarian by birth, and in addition to being astute in business, a champion in women's lawn tennis.

As a child, Rothschild spent six months of every year with her grandparents and uncle Walter at their estate outside London. Although all the Rothschilds expressed an interest in nature, it was Walter Rothschild who most sparked Miriam's interest in science. Walter Rothschild was a prolific collector of natural specimens, and his collection included more than two million butterflies, 300,000 bird skins, 200,000 bird eggs, and numerous other animals. And so, even as a young child of four, Rothschild began her own collection of ladybugs and caterpillars.

Rothschild had no formal education while growing up; her father believed formal education stifled creativity and natural curiosity. She read avidly and was tutored by her governess. When her father committed suicide after several years of chronic illness and depression, she lost interest in natural history, but her enthusiasm eventually returned, and at seventeen years of age, Rothschild enrolled herself in several evening classes at a local polytechnic institute.

A naturalist at the British Natural History Museum recommended her to the University of London in the late 1920s, and Rothschild became a researcher at the University's Biological Station located in Naples, Italy, where she studied marine life. She continued her studies when she went to the Marine Biological Station in Plymouth in 1932. It was at this time that she became interested in the study of parasites after finding out that some of the mollusks were infested with flatworms. She worked tirelessly, studying parasites, hosts, and other related marine animals, and collected numerous specimens and cultures. In 1939, however, the Germans bombed the research station during the Second World War, destroying Rothschild's laboratory completely. Rothschild now returned to Ashton Wold, which had been converted to a military hospital and air field during the war. At this time she was actively involved in the resistance movement, and she worked with mathematician Alan Turing on the top-secret British Enigma project, trying to crack the German code. She and her family also opened their home to European refugees.

Rothschild continued her scientific pursuits even while helping relocate many refugees after the war. Like her father, she had become interested in fleas. She studied many specimens and worked to catalog her father's collection--her findings were eventually amalgamated into six volumes and took twenty years to compile. She showed through her extensive research how fleas reproduce, how and why they choose their hosts, and the mechanics of how fleas can leap enormous distances. She also showed through research with Nobel laureate Tadeus Reichstein how the monarch caterpillar's diet of milkweed plants protects it (the glycosides in the milkweed are distasteful and possibly harmful to birds and other animals, who bypass monarchs for safer, tastier fare).

Rothschild was married to George Lane, a British soldier who had emigrated from Hungary, in 1943. The couple had four children and adopted two more. They divorced in 1957. In addition to science, Rothschild's other interests include travel, reading, and philanthropy. She has written and contributed to numerous articles about nature, and continues her research at Ashton Wold. Her 1983 book, Dear Lord Rothschild, honors her family and in particular her uncle Walter, who eventually became the second Baron Rothschild. Her interest in science has a mechanical side as well; she claims to be the first person to put seat belts in an automobile, in 1940.

Recent Updates

January 20, 2005: Rothschild died on January 20, 2005, in Ashton Wold, Northamptonshire, England. She was 96. Source: Independent, http://news.independent.co.uk, January 24, 2005.