Biographical entry Atkinson, Nancy (1910 - 1999)

Summary

Nancy Atkinson played a major role in the development of bacteriology in Adelaide. She joined the University of Adelaide as Lecturer of Bacteriology in 1939 and progressed through to Reader in the Department of Oral Biology, from which she retired in 1975. From 1942 to 1949 she concurrently worked as the bacteriologist at the Institute of Medical Veterinary Science. Atkinson established and directed the Salmonella Reference Laboratory at the University and discovered a new strain of salmonella, which she named Salmonella Adelaide. She was also the first person in the state to produce penicillin. Atkinson was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her salmonella research breakthroughs. Apart from salmonella, her research also involved the study of the natural antibacterial properties of Australian native plants and fungi, and the investigation of new treatments for typhoid and tuberculosis, discovering the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine. Atkinson was co-founder of the Australian Institute of Microbiology and helped establish the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology - South Australian branch and the Water and Waste Water Association. Outside of science, Nancy Atkinson had an interest in the wine industry and South Australian artists: she and her husband established Chalk Hill winery in McLaren Vales and wrote two art books (under the name of Benko): Art and Artists of South Australia and The Art of David Boyd.

Details

Events

1932

Education - Master of Science (MSc) completed at the University of Melbourne

1932 - 1937

Career position - Research Scholar and Demonstrator in Bacteriology at the University of Melbourne

1937 - 1939

Career position - Research Bacteriologist at the Institute of Medical Veterinary Science in Adelaide

1939 - 1942

Career position - Lecturer-in-charge of Bacteriology at the University of Adelaide

1942 - 1949

Career position - Bacteriologist at the Institute of Medical Veterinary Science

1942 - 1950

Career position - Head of the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Adelaide

1951

Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

1952 - 1958

Career position - Reader in Bacteriology at the University of Adelaide

1957

Education - Doctor of Science (DSc) received from the University of Adelaide

1958

Career position - Co-founder of the Australian Institute of Microbiology

1958 - 1961

Career position - Reader in Microbiology at the University of Adelaide

1961 - 1967

Career position - Personal Readership in Industrial Microbiology

1963

Career position - President of the Australian Institute of Microbiology

1967 - 1975

Career position - Transferred to the Department of Oral Biology at the University of Adelaide

Archival resources

The University of Adelaide Archives

• Papers of Dr. Nancy Atkinson (1910-99), MSS 0065; The University of Adelaide Archives. Details

Published resources

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Atkinson Nancy', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1476608. Details