Florence B. Seibert
| Florence B. Seibert | |
|---|---|
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| Born | October 6, 1897 Easton, Pennsylvania |
| Died | August 23, 1991 (aged 93) St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
| Institutions | University of Pennsylvania |
| Alma mater |
Goucher College Yale University |
| Doctoral advisor | Lafayette Mendel |
| Known for | Isolating a pure form of tuberculin |
| Notable awards |
Garvan–Olin Medal (1942) American Association of University Women Achievement Award (1943) |
Garvan–Olin Medal (1942)
Florence Barbara Seibert (October 6, 1897 – August 23, 1991) was an American biochemist. She is best known for identifying the active agent in the antigen tuberculin as a protein, and subsequently for isolating a pure form of tuberculin, purified protein derivative (PPD), enabling the development and use of a reliable TB test. Seibert is a member of the U.S. National Women's Hall of Fame.
Seibert was born on October 6, 1897, in Easton, Pennsylvania, to George Peter Seibert and Barbara (Memmert) Seibert. At age three, Florence contracted polio. She had to wear leg braces and walked with a limp throughout her life. As a teenager, Seibert is reported to have read biographies of famous scientists which inspired her interest in science.
Seibert did her undergraduate work at Goucher College in Baltimore, graduating in 1918. She and one of her chemistry teachers, Jessie E. Minor, did war-time work at the Chemistry Laboratory of the Hammersley Paper Mill in Garfield, New Jersey.
Seibert earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Yale University in 1923. At Yale she studied the intravenous injection of milk proteins under the direction of Lafayette Mendel. She developed a method to prevent these proteins from being contaminated with bacteria.
In 1923 Seibert worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago. She was financed by the Porter Fellowship of the American Philosophical Society, an award that was competitive for both men and women. She went on to work part-time at the Ricketts Laboratory at the University of Chicago, and part-time at the Sprague Memorial Institute in Chicago.
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