Ida A. Bengtson
Ida Albertina Bengtson (1881–1952)[1] was an American bacteriologist, known for her work with anaerobic organisms. She became the first woman hired to work in the United States Public Health Service's Hygienic Laboratory, at the National Institutes of Health.
Ida A. Bengtson
1881
1952 (aged 70–71)
University of Nebraska, University of Chicago
Classification of Clostridium botulinum, standards for gas gangrene toxins and anti-toxins
United States Public Health Service's Hygienic Laboratory
Life and education[edit]
Ida Bengtson was born in Harvard, Nebraska on 17 January 1881. She attended the University of Nebraska graduating in 1903 with degrees in mathematics and languages.[2][1]
Early career[edit]
Following graduation, Bengtson began working at the U.S. Geological Survey Library. Finding the job to be of low interest to her she spoke to a close friend who encouraged her to go back to school.[2] In 1911, she entered the University of Chicago to study bacteriology and biochemistry, and earned her master's degree in 1913 and her PhD in 1919, both from the University of Chicago.[1] While studying, she also worked as a bacteriologist in the Chicago Department of Health in 1915. In 1916 she became the first woman hired to work in the United States Public Health Service's Hygienic Laboratory (later part of the National Institutes of Health).[1][3] Ida paved the way for the hiring of additional female scientists in the NIH and worked alongside other influential women such as Alice Evans, who went on to serve as the first woman president of the Society of American Bacteriologists.[4]