Dr Eugenia Rose Aylmer Cooper (1898–1991): Manchester's renowned female anatomist and neurohistologist

Abstract

Having excelled in histology, Dr Eugenia Cooper, following graduation in medicine in Manchester, embarked on a career spanning 44 years in anatomy and histology at Manchester University. Her inimitable character was readily remembered by those she had taught. She was the first female graduate to gain an MD with gold medal for her thesis on the histology of the endocrine organs. However, her main study was the development of the human brainstem from the early weeks of gestation, which remains the basis for anatomical understanding today. More controversial was her theory on circulation and absorption of the cerebrospinal fluid. On retiring as Reader in Histology, she expressed disappointment at not being appointed a professor, which she considered was due to her gender. Possibly to compensate for this, she had studied law as an additional interest. She continued in research for a further 10 years in reproductive pharmacology. After retirement she donated her medals to the University, three to be awarded in medicine and histology, which have now lapsed, but the medals in computer science and music continue to be important rewards.

Professor George Archibald Grant Mitchell (1906–1993): his work with penicillin during World War II

“…36 Notable members of the staff included Eugenia Cooper (1898–1991), lecturer in histology (1923–1965), recognised for her research on the endocrine glands and nervous system. 37 Thom Ashley (1913–1972) was a lecturer in embryology (1946–1972), and Edward Louden Patterson (1910–1980), the senior lecturer, was a comparative anatomist and interested in the ANS and blood supply of nerves. 38…”

Acta Anatomica: A portrait of an anatomy department, Christmas 1951

“…4 Three of the characters, Miss Dorothy Davison, Professor GAG Mitchell and Dr Eugenia Cooper, had been the subject of previous articles in the Journal of Medical Biography , and further information was collected from obituaries and the Medical Directories . 5 A brief article in the Faculty Newsletter (2004) reported the discovery and the painting was then hung in the dissecting room, where it remains today. 6…”