True Life Tuesday: Florence B. Seibert

 March is Women's History Month so I plan on highlighting some lesser known women who have made history.

Florence Barbara Seibert was born on October 6, 1867 in Easton, Pennsylvania. Herr parents were George Peter and Barbara nee Memmert Seibert. When she was 3 years old she contracted polio which caused her to walk with a limp for the rest of her life. As a teenager she read biographies of famous scientists which lead to her love of science. 

In 1918 she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Goucher College. She then earned her PhD in biochemistry from Yale University in 1923. After graduating she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Otho S.A. Sprague Memorial Institute at the University of Chicago. Her work at removing contamination during the distillation process was adopted by the FDA, National Institute of Health and many pharmaceutical companies. While at the University of Chicago she was an instructor of pathology from 1924-1928 and was made an assistant professor in biochemistry in 1928.

While at the University of Chicago she met Esmond R. Long, MD who was working on tuberculosis research. 1n 1932 she and long relocated to the University of Pennsylvania where she became an assistant professor in biochemistry. This is where they decided to try and find a more reliable test for TB diagnosis. Florence was able to identify the active agent TB as a protein and was able to create a reliable test based upon this discovery. She first published this discovery in 1934 and her test became the national and international standard in the 1940's. She received the first Achievement Award from the American Association of University Women in 1943. 

Florence retired as a professor emeritus from the University of Pennsylvania in 1959. She then moved to St Petersburg, Florida where she continued her work. She did research on the link between bacteria and certain types of cancer at Mound Park Hospital and and the Bay Pines VA Research Center. She continued publishing research until 1977. She also published her autobiography, Pebbles on the Hill of a Scientist in 1968. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1990. Florence passed away in a St Petersburg nursing home on August 23. 1991. After her death a historical marker was placed in front of her birth place on November 15, 1993.