Helen Free
Helen Free , née Murray, (born February 20, 1923 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , † May 1, 2021 in Elkhart , Indiana ) was an American chemist , best known for co-developing a urine test for diabetes mellitus .
Career
Free received her bachelor's degree in chemistry from the College of Wooster in 1944. She then went to Miles Laboratories, where she worked first in quality control and then in biochemical research, where she met her husband Alfred Free . With him she developed various test strips for urinalysis, for example a test strip (Clinistix) for glucose in urine in 1956 , which patients could carry out as a diabetes test at home. She later rose to management positions at Miles Lab. In 1982 she retired and became a consultant at Bayer Diagnostics, which Miles had taken over in 1978.
Honors
In 1966 she was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science . In 1980 she received the Garvan Olin Medal of the American Chemical Society , of which she became president in 1993. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame with Alfred Free in 2000 , and received the National Medal of Technology in 2009 and the Chemical Pioneer Award in 2012 .
The American Chemical Society has been presenting a Helen M. Free Award for Public Outreach since 1995 , and was the first recipient of the award.
Private
She was married to Alfred Free from 1947 and had six children with him.
Fonts
- Alfred and Helen Free: Urinalysis in Laboratory Practice. CRC Press, Cleveland, 1975
Web links
Individual proof
- ↑ Denise Gellene: Helen Murray Free Dies at 98; Chemist Developed Diabetes Test. In: nytimes.com . May 4, 2021, accessed May 4, 2021 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Free, Helen |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Murray, Helen (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American chemist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 20, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 1, 2021 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Elkhart , Indiana |