Francis Brambell facts for kids

Francis William Rogers Brambell (born February 25, 1901 – died June 6, 1970) was an important Irish scientist. He spent his whole career working in Britain. He was known for his work in medical science, especially how immunity is passed from mothers to their babies.

Early Life and Education

Francis Brambell was born in Sandycove, a town near Dublin, Ireland. From 1911 to 1914, he went to Aravon School. After that, he studied privately, focusing on zoology, which is the study of animals.

University Studies

He later went to Trinity College Dublin. He won a special prize to enter the natural science program. In 1920, he earned a scholarship called a Foundation Scholarship. By 1922, he had earned his B.A. degree in natural sciences. He even won a gold medal for his excellent work!

Some of his teachers were famous scientists. These included Professor Henry Horatio Dixon and Professor John Joly. After getting his first degree, he continued to study. He worked with Professor James Brontë Gatenby on cytology, which is the study of cells.

In 1923, he earned his BSc degree. This degree was later changed to an MSc. Then, in 1924, he earned his PhD. This was actually the very first PhD degree ever given out by Trinity College Dublin! He also received a special scholarship for science research that year.

Career and Discoveries

In 1930, when he was just 29 years old, Francis Brambell became a professor. He was made the Head of the Department of Zoology at Bangor University in Wales. He worked there for 38 years until he retired. He made his department and the university very famous.

Understanding Immunity

Professor Brambell is known as the "father" of how immunity is passed on. Immunity is your body's ability to fight off sickness. He studied how mothers pass on protection from diseases to their young.

He discovered how a special protein, called IgG, moves from a mother to her baby. This protein helps protect the baby from sickness. He also found out how this protein is protected from being broken down in the body. This was a very important discovery in medicine!

Important Publications

In 1951, Brambell wrote a book called Antibodies and Embryos. He wrote it with his colleagues W. A. Hemmings and M. Henderson. This book explained many of his important findings.

Awards and Recognition

Because of his amazing work, Francis Brambell was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1949. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. In 1964, he won the Royal Medal. He received this award for his "important contribution to our understanding of the passage of protein from maternal to foetal circulations." This means he was honored for explaining how protective proteins move from a mother to her unborn baby.

Animal Welfare

In 1965, Professor Brambell led a special government committee in the UK. This committee wrote a very important document called The Five Freedoms. This document listed five basic rights that animals under human care should have. These freedoms help make sure animals have a good quality of life.

Personal Life

Francis Brambell married Margaret L. Adgie in 1927. He passed away on June 6, 1970.