P004137 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2002-11-20 human Rosanne Walker updated 2025-10-29 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P004137b.htm person Atkinson Nancy OBE AACR2 Cook, Nancy Benko, Nancy 9 March 1910 21 December 1999 Place of Birth Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Place of Death Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Bacteriologist 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. 1931 1931 Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Melbourne 1932 1932 Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Melbourne 1932 1937 Career position - Research Scholar and Demonstrator in Bacteriology, University of Melbourne 1937 1939 Career position - Research Bacteriologist, South Australian Laboratory of Pathology and Bacteriology (later incorporated into Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, South Australia) 1939 1942 Career position - Lecturer-in-charge of Bacteriology, University of Adelaide 1942 1950 Career position - Head of the Department of Bacteriology, University of Adelaide 1942 1951 Career position - Bacteriologist, South Australian Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science 1951 1951 Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) 1952 1958 Career position - Reader in Bacteriology, University of Adelaide 1957 1957 Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Adelaide 1958 1958 Career position - Co-founder of the Australian Society for Microbiology 1958 1961 Career position - Reader in Microbiology, University of Adelaide 1961 1967 Career position - Personal Readership in Industrial Microbiology 1963 1963 Career position - President, Australian Society for Microbiology 1967 1975 Career position - Transferred as Reader to the Department of Oral Biology, University of Adelaide Mawson, Jessica Paquita (Quita) (1917 - 2004)

Mawson was assistant to Atkinson

 Woodroofe, Gwendolyn Marion (Gwen) (1918 - 2012) The University of Adelaide (1874 - 2026)

Reader in Industrial Microbiology 1961 - 1967; Reader, Department of Oral Biology 1967 - 1975

 Australian Society for Microbiology (1959 - )

President 1963 - 1964

 Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Royal Adelaide Hospital (1938 - 2008)

Bacteriologist 1942 - 1949

Wikidata

 Cook, Nancy (1910-)

Trove

 'Atkinson, Nancy', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Atkinson, Nancy Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Newspaper Article: Scientific Pioneer: Nancy Benko, OBE Love, Tony Scientific Pioneer: Nancy Benko, OBE 2000 Adelaide Advertiser Book: Taking to the field: a history of Australian women in science Carey, Jane Taking to the field: a history of Australian women in science Clayton, Vic. Monash University Press 2023 Journal Article: Nancy Atkinson, bacteriologist, winemaker and writer McEwin, Emma Nancy Atkinson, bacteriologist, winemaker and writer 2018 Australian journal of biography and history 1 59-77 Edited Book: History of Microbiology in Australia Fenner, Frank History of Microbiology in Australia Melbourne Australian Society for Microbiology 1990 Papers of Dr. Nancy Atkinson (1910-99) The University of Adelaide Archives Papers of Dr. Nancy Atkinson (1910-99) MSS 0065 The collection includes correspondences, newspaper articles, talks, addresses, interviews and laboratory note books.