Donald Devereux Woods facts for kids

Donald Devereux Woods (born February 16, 1912 – died November 6, 1964) was an important British scientist. He was a microbiologist, which means he studied tiny living things like bacteria.

Donald Woods was born in a town called Ipswich in England. His parents were Walter and Violet Woods. He went to Northgate School in Ipswich. After that, he studied at Trinity Hall, Cambridge University. He earned his first degree in 1933 and then got his PhD in 1937.

Donald Woods's Scientific Career

In 1939, Donald Woods started working for the Medical Research Council. This group studies health and medicine. He worked in London, focusing on bacterial chemistry. During World War II, he worked on some important secret projects. After the war, he became a professor of Microbiology at Oxford University. In 1955, he became the head of a new department there, called Chemical Microbiology.

Woods's Big Discovery

Donald Woods is famous for a very important discovery he made in 1940. He found out how certain medicines, called sulfonamides, work against bacteria. He showed that a substance called p-aminobenzoic acid could stop these medicines from working.

This led him to a new idea: some substances can block the growth of bacteria. They do this by pretending to be important "food" that bacteria need. This idea is called "competitive inhibition." It means two things are competing for the same spot.

This discovery helped scientists understand how bacteria get their nutrients. It also helped them design new medicines. These new medicines could stop bacteria from growing by blocking their essential "food" or chemicals. His work was very important for understanding how to fight infections.

Awards and Special Honours

Donald Woods received several important awards for his scientific work.

• 1952: He was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom. It showed that his work was recognized as very important. The Royal Society noted his work on how p-aminobenzoic acid stops sulfonamides. They praised his idea of competitive inhibition. This idea greatly helped in understanding nutrition and creating new medicines.
• 1953: He was awarded the Marjory Stephenson Prize. This prize is given for excellent work in microbiology.

Donald Woods passed away in 1964. His work continues to be important in the field of microbiology.