Ida Henrietta Hyde
Encyclopedia
Ida Henrietta Hyde was an American
physiologist
known for developing a micro-electrode
powerful enough to stimulate tissue chemically or electronically, yet small enough to inject or remove tissue from a cell.
, Iowa
, Ida was one of four children to Meyer and Babette Heidenheimer, German
immigrants from Württemberg
. The surname
Hyde was taken after their arrival in the United States
. Ida's father was a merchant that worked out of home and who disappeared on one of his trips, leaving Babette to care for the children. In order to keep the family afloat, they moved to Chicago
, where Babette was able to start a prosperous business.
In 1871, the family home was destroyed in the Great Fire of Chicago, which destroyed the family business as well. Without any form of income, the children were forced into labor. Ida entered the work force at age 14 as a milliner's apprentice. Because of her age, older than that of her siblings, much of the burden of supporting the family fell on her. She brought in a large portion of the family income, and even paid for her only brother's education at the University of Illinois. Over time, she rose in her occupation to the job of saleslady. Her experience in the clothing store proved to be valuable later in life because of her ability to fashion her own clothing with minimal supplies.
. It was from this work that her love of biology was born. In addition, it spurred her toward finishing her education, which she did by attending night classes at the Chicago Athenaeum during 1875–76. Her further educational studies came to her while she was visiting her brother at his university and chanced upon meeting several women working in academia
. She was able to pass her entrance exams for the College Preparatory School and later entered the same university as her brother.
Her study was cut short when her brother became sick in 1882 and she had to attend to him. This continued for the next six years, during which time she worked as a teacher
of second- and third-graders. However, her biological pursuits still were still expressed in her attempts to work nature studies into the public school system
.
In 1888 she was finally able to return to the collegiate scene at the age of 31. She enrolled at Cornell University
and earned her Bachelor of Arts
degree in just three years. She was then offered a biology scholarship at Bryn Mawr College
. She accepted and began under the tutelage of Jacques Loeb
and Thomas Hunt Morgan
.
Ida received her Ph.D.
at the University of Heidelberg, Germany at age 39 after many frustrating obstacles presented because of her gender. She was required to go beyond the work of an average student to receive her degree, and became the first woman to graduate there. The main problem in obtaining her degree was that her teaching professor, Wilhelm Kühne
, disliked the thought of allowing a woman to work under him. But her accomplishments eventually surmounted his opposition and he awarded her with her doctorate.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physiologist
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
known for developing a micro-electrode
Electrode
An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit...
powerful enough to stimulate tissue chemically or electronically, yet small enough to inject or remove tissue from a cell.
Childhood
Born in DavenportDavenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Ida was one of four children to Meyer and Babette Heidenheimer, German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
immigrants from Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
. The surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
Hyde was taken after their arrival in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Ida's father was a merchant that worked out of home and who disappeared on one of his trips, leaving Babette to care for the children. In order to keep the family afloat, they moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where Babette was able to start a prosperous business.
In 1871, the family home was destroyed in the Great Fire of Chicago, which destroyed the family business as well. Without any form of income, the children were forced into labor. Ida entered the work force at age 14 as a milliner's apprentice. Because of her age, older than that of her siblings, much of the burden of supporting the family fell on her. She brought in a large portion of the family income, and even paid for her only brother's education at the University of Illinois. Over time, she rose in her occupation to the job of saleslady. Her experience in the clothing store proved to be valuable later in life because of her ability to fashion her own clothing with minimal supplies.
Education
At the store where she worked, Hyde chanced upon an English version of Ansichten der Natur (View of Nature) by Alexander von HumboldtAlexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
. It was from this work that her love of biology was born. In addition, it spurred her toward finishing her education, which she did by attending night classes at the Chicago Athenaeum during 1875–76. Her further educational studies came to her while she was visiting her brother at his university and chanced upon meeting several women working in academia
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
. She was able to pass her entrance exams for the College Preparatory School and later entered the same university as her brother.
Her study was cut short when her brother became sick in 1882 and she had to attend to him. This continued for the next six years, during which time she worked as a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
of second- and third-graders. However, her biological pursuits still were still expressed in her attempts to work nature studies into the public school system
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
.
In 1888 she was finally able to return to the collegiate scene at the age of 31. She enrolled at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and earned her Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in just three years. She was then offered a biology scholarship at Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
. She accepted and began under the tutelage of Jacques Loeb
Jacques Loeb
Jacques Loeb was a German-born American physiologist and biologist.-Biography:...
and Thomas Hunt Morgan
Thomas Hunt Morgan
Thomas Hunt Morgan was an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist and embryologist and science author who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933 for discoveries relating the role the chromosome plays in heredity.Morgan received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in zoology...
.
Ida received her Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
at the University of Heidelberg, Germany at age 39 after many frustrating obstacles presented because of her gender. She was required to go beyond the work of an average student to receive her degree, and became the first woman to graduate there. The main problem in obtaining her degree was that her teaching professor, Wilhelm Kühne
Wilhelm Kühne
Wilhelm Friedrich Kühne was a German physiologist. Born in Hamburg, he is best known today for coining the word enzyme.-Biography:...
, disliked the thought of allowing a woman to work under him. But her accomplishments eventually surmounted his opposition and he awarded her with her doctorate.