Scientists Anonymous

This book gives a fascinating account of the scientific work done by women over the centuries and makes it very clear that, leaving aside prejudice, the disadvantages from which they have suffered lie not in their mental abilities but rather in their domestic circumstances. Indeed many of the examples described here are of women managing to carry on their scientific work from their own home surroundings. It becomes clear that in today’s world it is often the way in which scientific work is organised that militates against a woman’s career in science. Certainly the constant need to look for funding does not help women who have a career break or who want to have more family friendly employment. If this book is read by boys as well as girls, then future male scientists might be more encouraged to rebel against the demands of the competitive (and sometimes cutthroat) scientific framework.

Any book like this is inevitably somewhat disjointed but Fara manages to give a feeling of gradual progression for the involvement of women in science. The later chapters do this effectively by concentrating in turn on different forms of scientific activity, medical, environmental and academic.

There are some unnecessary errors. Samuel Johnson referred to a woman ‘preaching’, not to ‘making a speech’ (p26). Marie Curie was indeed the first person to win two Nobel prizes but she is not now the only one as Linus Pauling has done so since then (p175). Finally Rosalind Franklin, shabbily treated though she was, did not get the Nobel Prize because she died too soon (p174). This matter is put in a better perspective on p186 but the episode could have been better explained. But with this caveat the book is to be recommended, particularly for 6th formers.