Florence Rena Sabin
1871-1953
American Physician
Florence Sabin was born in Central City, Colorado, and, after earning her baccalaureate from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, went on to became the first woman to graduate from Johns Hopkins Medical School. Sabin is honored as one of the leading women scientists of her time.
While still in medical school, Sabin studied anatomy and helped transform the field of anatomy from a purely descriptive science to an academic discipline concerned with the relationships between form and function. Sabin's text, An Atlas of the Medulla and Mid-Brain (1901), became a classic.
In admitting Sabin, Johns Hopkins fulfilled a charter promise to admit and train both men and women in medicine. After graduation, Sabin performed her medical internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and subsequently accepted a postgraduate fellowship in the Department of Anatomy. Sabin started research on the embryological development of blood cells and lymphatic system. Sabin's work eventually demonstrated the development of systems from early embryonic "buddings" within the veins of the developing embryo.
Florence Sabin. (Library of Congress. Reproduced with permission.)Sabin consistently broke ground for women in the sciences. In 1917, Sabin became the first woman to be appointed to a full professorship at Johns Hopkins. In 1924, Sabin was elected the first woman president of the American Association of Anatomists.
After becoming the first lifetime woman member of the National Academy of Science, Sabin accepted a post at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research as the head of the Department of Cellular Studies.
Sabin expanded her work to include research on understanding the pathology and immunology of tuberculosis. Although technically tuberculosis refers to any of the infectious diseases of animals and humans caused by the microorganism Mycobacterium tuberculosisan, Sabin's work concentrated on the damage inflicted on the lungs and other parts of the body through the formation of tubercles.
Sabin's methods for determining variability in white corpuscle count became important indictors of various disease states. Sabin's findings took on urgent importance in later attempts to combat tuberculosis. Sabin's work continued until her retirement in the late 1930s.
Near the end of World War II, Sabin was called upon to chair a study on public health practices in Colorado. As part of her study Sabinconducted studies on the effects of water pollution and the prevention of brucellosis in cattle. Sabin concentrated her efforts on identifying livestock brucellosis because it is a contagious disease that affects both humans and domesticated animals. Sabin's efforts resulted in the passage of the Sabin Health Laws that signaled an important change in public health policy. The Sabin Health Bills mandated stringent regulations regarding infectious disease, milk pasteurization, and sewage disposal.
Sabin was a refined and distinguished teacher and humanitarian. From the mid-1940s until her death, Sabin accepted various positions related to public health management, including a position as Chairman of the Interim Board of Health and Hospitals of Denver. Sabin also consistently donated her salary to medical research.
The University of Colorado School of Medicine named its principal facility in Sabin's honor, and a statue of Sabin represents the State of Colorado in the United States Capitol's Statuary Hall.
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