Alice Stewart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alice Stewart
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Alice Stewart
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| Born | 4 October 1906 Sheffield, England
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| Died | 3 June 2002 (aged 95) Oxford, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Known for | social medicine effects of radiation on health |
| Awards | Right Livelihood Award (1986) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | epidemiology |
| Institutions | Oxford University Medical School |
| Influences | Thomas Mancuso George Kneale |
Dr. Alice Mary Stewart (born October 4, 1906 – died June 3, 2002) was a British doctor. She was an epidemiologist, which means she studied how diseases spread. Alice focused on how health is affected by society and by radiation.
She is famous for her research on the dangers of radiation. She showed that even small amounts of radiation can be harmful. Dr. Stewart was the first to discover a link between X-rays given to pregnant women and a higher risk of cancer in their children. In 1986, she received the Right Livelihood Award. This award recognized her for showing the real dangers of low-level radiation, even when others disagreed.
Early Life and Education
Alice Stewart was born in Sheffield, England. Both of her parents were doctors. They were pioneers in treating children. They were well-known in Sheffield for helping kids.
Alice studied medicine at Girton College, Cambridge. She finished her medical training in 1932 in London. She worked in hospitals in Manchester and London. Later, she taught at the Oxford University Medical School. There, she became interested in how people's health was affected by their lives and jobs. She advised on health issues for workers during wartime.
Studying Health and Disease
In 1942, a new department for social and preventive medicine started at Oxford. Alice Stewart became its assistant head. By 1950, she was leading the department.
In 1953, she began an important study. She looked into whether X-rays could cause cancer in children. She worked on this research for three years. At first, some people didn't believe her findings.
However, her discoveries about X-rays harming unborn babies were eventually accepted worldwide. Because of her work, doctors stopped using medical X-rays on pregnant women and young children as much. This change took about 25 years to become common practice.
Important Radiation Research
After she officially retired in 1974, Alice Stewart continued her research. She worked with Professor Thomas Mancuso. They studied the health records of workers at the Hanford plutonium plant in Washington state. This plant made plutonium.
They found that these workers had much more radiation-related illness than official studies showed. Some experts questioned her methods. However, Alice Stewart's work is now seen as very important. It helped to show a different view from reports made by the nuclear industry.
In 1986, Alice Stewart was honored by the Right Livelihood Foundation. This award is given every year in Stockholm. Later, she was made a professor at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. In 1997, she became the first Chair of the European Committee on Radiation Risk.
See also
In Spanish: Alice Stewart para niños
