Margaret Todd (doctor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margaret Georgina Todd
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Dr Margaret Todd
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| Born | 23 April 1859 Kilrenny, Scotland
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| Died | 3 September 1918 (aged 59) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Education | Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women |
| Known for | proposing the term isotope |
Margaret Georgina Todd (born April 23, 1859 – died September 3, 1918) was a doctor and writer from Scotland. She is famous for suggesting the word isotope in 1913 to a chemist named Frederick Soddy. This word is now used all over the world in science.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Margaret Todd was born in Kilrenny, Fife, Scotland. Her parents were James Cameron Todd and Jeannie McBain. She studied in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Berlin.
Her brother, James Cameron Todd, became a canon and schoolmaster. He started the Michaelhouse school in South Africa.
In 1886, Margaret Todd became one of the first students at the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women. She joined after learning that the Scottish Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons allowed women to take their exams.
She took eight years to finish her four-year medical course. This was because she was also writing a novel during her studies. She used the pen name Graham Travers for her book, Mona Maclean, Medical Student.
The magazine Punch described her novel as having a "purpose." After she graduated in 1894, she earned her medical degree (MD) in Brussels.
Medical Career and Writing
After finishing her studies, Margaret Todd worked as an Assistant Medical Officer. She was at the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children. She worked there for five years before retiring.
Her first book was very popular. She later published other books like Fellow Travellers and Kirsty O' The Mill Toun in 1896. Then came Windyhaugh in 1898. She always used her male pen name, Graham Travers.
However, people soon found out her real identity. By 1906, her publishers even added "Margaret Todd, M.D." next to her pen name. Besides six novels, she also wrote short stories for magazines.
Coined the Term "Isotope"
Margaret Todd was a friend of the chemist Frederick Soddy. He was a lecturer at the University of Glasgow. In 1913, Soddy told her about his research on radioactivity. He later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work in 1921.
Soddy had discovered that some radioactive elements could have different atomic masses. However, their chemical properties were exactly the same. This meant that atoms with different masses could fit in the same place on the periodic table.
Margaret Todd suggested calling such atoms isotopes. This word comes from Greek and means "at the same place." Soddy liked the term and started using it. Today, "isotope" is a standard scientific word.
Personal Life and Later Works
Margaret Todd had a close friendship with Sophia Jex-Blake. Dr. Jex-Blake was the founder of the medical school Margaret attended and where she worked.
When Dr. Jex-Blake retired in 1899, they moved together to a place called Windydene. There, Margaret Todd wrote two more books: The Way of Escape (1902) and Growth (1906).
After Dr. Jex-Blake passed away, Margaret Todd wrote a book about her life. It was called The Life of Dr Sophia Jex-Blake (1918). In this book, Margaret wrote about the struggles women faced in the 1800s to become doctors.
Death and Legacy
Margaret Todd died at the age of 59. This was just three months after her book about Dr. Jex-Blake was published.
After her death, a scholarship was created in her name at the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women. She left £3,000 in her will. This money was meant to help women advance in the field of medicine. That amount would be worth about £300,000 today.
Selected Works
- Graham Travers. Mona Maclean, Medical Student (1892)
- Fellow Travellers (1896)
- Kirsty O' The Mill Toun (1896)
- The Way of Escape (1902)
- Growth (1906)
- The Life of Sophia Jex-Blake (1918)
