Phyllis Margaret Tookey Kerridge facts for kids

Phyllis Margaret Tookey Kerridge (1901–1940) was a brilliant British scientist. She was a chemist and a physiologist, which means she studied how living things work. Phyllis is famous for inventing a tiny tool called the miniature pH electrode. She also did important work on artificial respiration, which helps people breathe. Plus, she was a pioneer in audiometry, the science of testing hearing.

Early Life and Learning

Phyllis Margaret Tookey was born in April 1901. She grew up in Bromley, Kent, with her two younger brothers. Her father, William Alfred Tookey, was an engineer.

Phyllis loved science from a young age. She went to the City of London School for Girls. Later, she studied chemistry and physics at UCL. She earned her degree in 1922.

Becoming a Doctor and Scientist

Phyllis continued her studies at UCL. She earned her PhD in 1927. Her research was about using a special tool called the glass electrode in biology. Around 1926, she married William Henry Kerridge.

While teaching at UCL, she also studied medicine. She became a doctor in 1933. In 1937, she earned a special membership with the Royal College of Physicians.

Amazing Scientific Discoveries

Phyllis Kerridge worked at many important places. These included UCL and the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth. She also worked at the Carlsberg Laboratory in Denmark. Her work helped many people.

Inventing a Tiny pH Tool

In 1925, Phyllis invented something very important. It was a special glass electrode that was very small. This tool could measure the pH level in tiny amounts of blood or other body fluids.

Older pH tools were too big for this. Phyllis made her miniature electrode with a platinum part. This made the signal much stronger. It allowed accurate measurements even in small samples. She faced challenges like glass breaking easily. But she found ways to make her invention work.

Helping People Breathe

After becoming a doctor, Phyllis worked on artificial respiration. This helps people who cannot breathe on their own. She worked with Robert W. Paul and William Henry Bragg. They had created a breathing machine called the "pulsator."

Phyllis did many tests on this machine. Her work made the pulsator much better. She also suggested ways to make it simpler and smaller. One person, Mr. S. Crosby Halahan, used an adapted version of the machine. It helped him breathe for two years after he became paralyzed.

Phyllis also helped share information about the pulsator. She took photos of it in use. She also wrote articles for medical journals. This helped doctors learn about the new breathing machine.

Improving Hearing Tests

In the 1930s, Phyllis worked at the Royal Ear Hospital. She created new ways to test hearing. These are called audiometric standards. She also helped set up clinics for deaf people.

Phyllis loved music. This made her care deeply about people with hearing loss. She especially focused on children. She visited poor areas to understand why some children had hearing problems.

In 1936, she tested the hearing of many schoolchildren in London. She used a special soundproof room at University College Hospital. This room had a modern machine called a Western Electric Audiometer. It was the first of its kind in Great Britain.

Working with the Post Office

Phyllis Kerridge's knowledge of hearing aids was very useful. The British Post Office wanted to make phone calls clearer. They used her ideas about how sound travels through bone.

She also helped the Post Office test hearing for their telephone operators. In 1937, she put special amplified telephones in her clinic. These phones were for people with hearing loss. Her tests gave the Post Office important information. This helped them improve their phone services.

Phyllis also created phonetic tests with Dennis Butler Fry. These tests were later used to design the Medresco. This was the first hearing aid provided by the NHS.

During World War II

When World War II started, Phyllis was working at University College Hospital. She was sent to St Margaret's Hospital, Epping. There, she and her team quickly set up a lab. They worked on important tasks like blood transfusions.

Phyllis Kerridge passed away in 1940. She was only 38 years old.