Ruth Sawtell Wallis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruth Otis Sawtell Wallis
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| Born | March 15, 1895 |
| Died | January 21, 1978 (aged 82) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physical anthropology |
| Thesis | Ossification and Growth of Children from One to Eight Years of Age (1929) |
| Doctoral advisor | Franz U. Boas |
Ruth Sawtell Wallis (born March 15, 1895 – died January 21, 1978) was an American scientist. She was a physical anthropologist. This means she studied how humans developed over time. She also looked at how our bodies grow and change.
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Ruth Wallis's Early Life and Education
Ruth Wallis was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Her parents were Joseph Otis Sawtell and Grace Quimby. She went to Radcliffe College and earned a degree in English in 1919.
After college, she continued her studies in anthropology. She even traveled to Europe for research. While there, she made an important discovery. She found the first signs of ancient people called Azilians in France. She found two sets of remains in a place called Montardit.
Studying Human Growth
When Ruth came back to the United States, she joined Columbia University. She studied anthropology there with a famous professor, Franz Boas. She helped him with a well-known study. This study looked at how the head shapes of immigrants changed.
Ruth then started to study how young children grow. She also looked at their body measurements. Her special paper for her doctorate degree was about this topic. It is still used and quoted by scientists today.
In 1930, she started working at the University of Iowa. She taught in the anthropology department.
Life and Work During the Great Depression
In 1931, Ruth married Wilson Dallam Wallis. He was also an anthropology professor. After getting married, Ruth became a sociology professor at Hamline University. However, she later lost her job. This was because it was unusual for both a husband and wife to work during the difficult economic times of the Great Depression.
Even without that job, Ruth continued her important work. She led a huge study on how children grow. This study helped create standard sizes for children's clothes. This made it much easier for parents to buy clothes that fit their kids.
World War II and Later Career
During World War II, Ruth Wallis helped the country. She looked at information about workers for the War Manpower Commission. She also helped organize a program for the Army. This program taught soldiers about the Japanese language and culture.
Around this time, Ruth also started writing mystery novels! She wrote several books that were very popular.
In the 1950s, she helped create a study of the Micmac people in Nova Scotia, Canada. She also studied other native peoples in both Canada and the United States.
Later, Ruth moved to Connecticut with her family. In 1956, she became a sociology lecturer at Annhurst College. She eventually became a full professor there. She retired in 1974.
Ruth Wallis's Books
Ruth Sawtell Wallis wrote both scientific papers and mystery novels. Here are some of her works:
- Primitive Hearths in the Pyrenees (1927) (with Ida Treat)
- "Ossification and Growth of Children from One to Eight Years of Age". American Journal of Diseases of Children (1929)
- Azilian Skeletal Remains from Montardit (Ariege) France (1931)
- Too Many Bones (1943)
- No Bones About It (1944)
- Blood from a Stone (1945)
- Cold Bed in the Clay (1947)
- Forget My Fate (1950)
