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Una Lucy Fielding facts for kids

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Una Lucy Fielding
Portrait Una Lucy Fielding.jpg
Born (1888-05-20)20 May 1888
Died 11 August 1969(1969-08-11) (aged 81)
Nationality Australian
Education University of Sydney
Occupation Neuroanatomist
Known for
Parents
  • Rev. Sydney Glanville Fielding (father)
  • Lucy Frances (née Johnson) (mother)

Una Lucy Fielding (born May 20, 1888 – died August 11, 1969) was an amazing Australian scientist. She was a neuroanatomist, which means she studied the brain and nervous system. She made important discoveries about how our brains work.

Una's Early Life

Una Fielding was born in Wellington, New South Wales, Australia. Her dad, Rev. Sydney Glanville Fielding, was a church leader and writer. Her mom was Lucy Frances Johnson.

Una was the oldest of six children. She went to a private school in Windsor. Later, she attended St Catherine's School, Waverley starting in 1900.

In 1907, Una won a special scholarship to the University of Sydney. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1910. After graduating, she spent six years teaching French and English.

Una's Medical Career

Una decided to go back to the University of Sydney to study medicine. She earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1919. Then, in 1922, she completed her Bachelor of Medicine (MB) and Master of Surgery (ChM) degrees.

In 1923, Una moved to London to work at University College London. She was a demonstrator in the anatomy department. People quickly noticed how good she was at understanding the nervous system.

Her boss, Sir Grafton Elliot Smith, encouraged her to study monotremes. These are special mammals that lay eggs, like the platypus. In 1925, she shared her first scientific paper. It was about the marsupial mole.

Working Around the World

Una traveled to the University of Michigan in 1927. After that, she became a temporary professor at the American University of Beirut. This was from 1928 to 1929. While there, she wrote scientific papers with other researchers.

When she returned to London, she worked with a Romanian scientist named Grigore T. Popa. They made an important discovery together. They found a special blood vessel link between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in the brain. These parts of the brain control many body functions.

Una and Popa published their findings in famous medical journals. These included The Lancet and the Journal of Anatomy.

From 1928, Una taught many subjects at UCL. She taught about neurology and the anatomy of the nervous system. In 1935, she became a Reader in neurological anatomy at UCL. This was a very important position.

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