Ethel Sargant

Ethel Sargant

Ethel Sargant (born October 28, 1863 in London , † January 16, 1918 in Sidmouth ) was a British botanist . She was the first woman to serve on the board of directors of the Linnean Society . Your botanical author abbreviation is " Sargant ".

Career

Ethel Sargant was born to Henry Sargant and Catherine Emma, ​​b. Beale born. She attended North London Collegiate School . In 1881 she took up studies in natural sciences at Girton College , Cambridge , which she graduated from in 1885. For her further research, Ethel Sargant set up a laboratory at her home, where she pursued her research work with a few interruptions. In 1892 she moved to the Royal Botanical Garden in Kew for a year to study research methods in plant anatomy with DH Scott . In 1897 she traveled to various European research institutions. Here she also looked for Eduard Strasburger , a well-known botanist, in Bonn. In addition to her research, Ethel Sargant gave students guidance on scientific work in her laboratory. It was in this context that she met Agnes Arber , who began working with her in 1902 as a research assistant.

Scientific work

Ethel Sargant's research activities focused on plant cytology and plant anatomy. In the course of her study of cell division in plants, she was able to prove the existence of the synaptic phase . This cell division phase, in which analogous maternal and paternal chromosomes join together, was still under discussion for plants at the time. In her further research, she studied the development of egg and sperm in lilies . She published the results of these studies in 1896 and 1897 in the context of several specialist articles. Her later work concentrated on questions about the evolution of plants. Here she dealt intensively with the origin of monocot plants . She came to the conclusion that monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants must have come from a common ancestor. This knowledge was based on precise anatomical studies of young plants. She paid particular attention to the examination of the vascular bundles .

Appreciation

In recognition of her academic achievements, Ethel Sargant was elected a member of the Linnean Society in 1904 and then became the first woman on the organization's board of directors. In 1913, she received an honorary membership of Girton College.

swell

• Renate Strohmeyer: Lexicon of the natural scientists and women of Europe . Verlag Harri Deutsch, ISBN 3-8171-1567-9 , p. 245.

Web links

Author entry at IPNI