Google today regarded hematologist Lucy Wills on her 131st birthday with a Doodle.
She is the pioneer of parental care and research..
Lucy Wills work in India changed the face of pre-birth care for women all over the place.
Pregnant women around the globe have Lucy Wills to thank for crucial research that prompted the creation of a prenatal vitamin that helps prevent birth defects.
“Today’s Doodle celebrates English haematologist Lucy Wills, the pioneering medical researcher whose analysis of prenatal anemia changed the face of preventive prenatal care for women everywhere,” said Google.
Brought into the world close Birmingham, England, in 1888, Wills came of age at a time when educational opportunities were improving for young women wishing to enter a profession. She went to three schools that profited from a more progressive approach to education, the first being Cheltenham College for Young Ladies, a British boarding school preparing female students in science and mathematics.
“Wills traveled to India to investigate a severe form of life-threatening anemia afflicting pregnant textile workers in Bombay. Suspecting that poor nutrition was the cause, she discovered what came to be known as the ‘Wills Factor’ when a laboratory monkey’s health improved after being fed the British breakfast spread Marmite which is made of yeast extract. Later research proved the factor to be folic acid, which is now recommended to pregnant women all over the world,” Google writes.
“Remembered for her wry sense of humor, Wills enjoyed mountain climbing, cross-country skiing, and rode a bicycle to work rather than driving in a car. She devoted much of her life to traveling the world and working to ensure the health of mothers-to-be. Happy 131st birthday, Lucy Wills!” added Google.