Dora Lush
Dora Mary Lush (31 July 1910 – 20 May 1943) was an Australian bacteriologist.[1]
Early life
Lush was born in Hawthorn, Victoria, the daughter of John Fullarton Lush, a clerk, and his wife Dora Emma Louisa (née Puttmann).[1] She was educated at Fintona Girls' School[2] and the University of Melbourne, gaining a B.Sc. in 1932 and an M.Sc. in 1934.[1] She was an active sportswoman, being selected for the University of Melbourne's women's basketball team.[3]
Research
Lush worked at the National Institute for Medical Research, London, from early in 1939. She returned to Australia. Her work on the influenza virus was praised in 1940.[4] She worked with Frank Macfarlane Burnet at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research on a scrub typhus vaccine in 1942[1] as scrub typhus was a serious health risk to Australian soldiers engaged in jungle warfare in New Guinea in World War 2.[5][6]
Death
On 27 April 1943 Lush accidentally pricked her finger with a needle containing scrub typhus while inoculating a mouse. There was no effective treatment at the time for this often fatal disease. She died four weeks later, on 20 May 1943.[1][7] Before her death she insisted that blood samples be taken from her to aid research.[1][6]
Lush was cremated at Springvale Crematorium on 22 May 1943.[2]
Legacy
The National Health and Medical Research Council now offers postgraduate scholarships named in her honour.[8][9]
References
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External links
- Lush, Dora Mary (1910 - 1943) Encyclopedia of Australian Science
- The Untold Story of Dora Lush, biographical podcast by Nicky Phillips
- Pages with broken file links
- Use dmy dates from July 2014
- 1910 births
- 1943 deaths
- Australian bacteriologists
- University of Melbourne alumni
- Wikibomb2014
- Deaths from typhus
- Industrial accident deaths
- Australian medical researchers
- People from Victoria (Australia)
- Australian women scientists
- 20th-century women scientists
