Rebecca Lancefield

Maclyn_McCarty_(5493933573)_(cropped)

Rebecca Lancefield

Rebecca Craighill Lancefield (1895-1981) was an American microbiologist known for her groundbreaking work in the field of bacterial classification. She is best known for developing a system of classifying bacteria based on their cell wall components, which has had a lasting impact on the field of microbiology.

Early Life and Education

Rebecca Lancefield was born in 1895 in New York City. She attended Barnard College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in 1916. She went on to earn a master's degree in 1918 and a Ph.D. in 1925, both from Columbia University.

Career

Lancefield joined the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (now Rockefeller University) in 1918, where she spent her entire career. She focused her research on the classification of bacteria, particularly the streptococci group. Her work led to the development of the Lancefield classification system, which categorizes streptococci based on the antigens present in their cell walls.

Lancefield's classification system revolutionized the study of streptococci and provided a valuable tool for understanding the epidemiology and pathogenicity of these bacteria. Her work laid the foundation for further research in bacterial classification and identification.

Legacy

Rebecca Lancefield's contributions to microbiology have had a lasting impact on the field. Her classification system is still used today in the identification and study of streptococci and other bacteria. She published over 200 scientific papers during her career and received numerous awards for her work.