Gertrudis de la Fuente

Gertrudis de la Fuente
Born (1921-08-21)21 August 1921
Madrid, Spain
Died 23 January 2017(2017-01-23) (aged 95)
Madrid, Spain
Alma mater Complutense University of Madrid
Scientific career
Institutions Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Gertrudis de la Fuente (21 August 1921 – 23 January 2017) was a Spanish biochemist who specialised in enzymology. She was a professor in the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. She coordinated the Spanish government's commission to protect against toxic oil syndrome. Her legacy was turned into a short film, Gertrudis (la mujer que no enterró sus talentos), which was released in 2016.

Early life and education

She was born in Madrid in 1921. She was daughter of a train driver.[1] She moved to Arroyo de Malpartida, Cáceres aged six for her father's work.[1] She grew up in a rural area, where girls were not usually educated beyond primary school, and did not start high school until her father retired.[1][2] In 1935 she moved to Madrid, where she began to study for her Baccalauréat, but was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War.[2] She became interested in geometry.[2] She eventually graduated in 1942. She completed a bachelor's degree in chemistry at the Complutense University of Madrid in 1948.[2] At university she also attended physics classes.[2] She began her research career working for free in the faculty of Pharmacy with biochemist Santos Ruiz the only Professor of biochemistry in Spain.[2] In 1950 she secured a grant to write her doctoral thesis, which she defended in 1954.[2]

Career

In 1956, she was appointed as a collaborator in the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, was promoted to researcher in 1960, and to professor in 1962.[3] In 1970 the Institute of Enzymology relocated to the Faculty of Medicine at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.[3] In 1981 she was asked to coordinate an investigation ino toxic oil syndrome.

Toxic Oil Syndrome

In 1981 there was a mass poisoning in Spain. Researchers identified that the poisoning was due to industrial rapeseed oil ending up in the market for humans.[3] The syndrome lasted forty days and affected more than 20,000 people, leaving more than 1,100 dead. She was part of the Comisión Asesora de Investigación Científica y Técnica.[3]

Later life

She carried on teaching and supervising PhD students until her retirement.[3] In 2015, a film was made about her life, education and work.[4] She won the Club of 25 award for her contributions to science. She died in 2017, and was remembered as being "activa y serena, y al día de los problemas sociales, las desigualdades y las mujeres, sobre lo que se manifestaba con claridad" by María Jesús Santesmases.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Revista de la SEBBM - Revista - GALERÍA - Bioquímicas en España: memoria e inspiración". www.sebbm.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Fallece a los 95 años Gertrudis de la Fuente, pionera de la bioquímica". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gertrudis de la Fuente, la pionera de la bioquímica que se empeñó en estudiar a pesar de todo | Vidas científicas | Mujeres con ciencia". Mujeres con ciencia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  4. ↑ "Gertrudis (La mujer que no enterró sus talentos)". fibabc (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  5. ↑ "Gertrudis de la Fuente - csic.es". www.csic.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-07-25.
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