Nancy Atkinson

Atkinson was born in Melbourne, Australia, and grew up in St Kilda, Victoria.{{Cite journal |last=McEwin |first=Emma |date=2018-12-11 |title=Nancy Atkinson, bacteriologist, winemaker and writer |url=http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n4630/pdf/article03.pdf |journal=Australian Journal of Biography and History |volume=1 |pages=59–77 |doi=10.22459/AJBH.2018.03|doi-access=free }}{{Citation |last=McEwin |first=Emma |title=Atkinson, Nancy (1910–1999) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/atkinson-nancy--32455 |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |access-date=2023-06-20 |place=Canberra |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |language=en}} She began studying a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, majoring in chemistry but eventually switching to the relatively new field of bacteriology.{{cite web|title=Dr. Nancy Atkinson (1910–99) Papers|url=https://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/special/mss/atkinson_n/|publisher=University of Adelaide|access-date=13 April 2018|language=en}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48680456 |title=Woman Scientist's As Bacteriologist |newspaper=The Advertiser |location=South Australia |date=5 December 1945 |access-date=14 April 2018 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} She graduated with the bachelor's degree in 1931, followed by a Master of Science in 1932. From 1932 to 1937, she worked as a research scholar and demonstrator in Bacteriology I and Medical Bacteriology, while also delivering practical lectures in Bacteriology II within the university's Department of Bacteriology.{{cite web|publisher=The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre|title=Atkinson, Nancy (1910–1999)|url=http://www.eoas.info/biogs/P004137b.htm|website=Encyclopedia of Australian Science|access-date=13 April 2018|language=en-gb}}

In 1937, Atkinson transferred to the Government of South Australia's Laboratory of Pathology and Bacteriology in Adelaide. The next year, the laboratory was incorporated into the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science (IMVS) as part of the University of Adelaide. Atkinson continued to work part-time at the institute focused on medical microbiology, specifically research into the public’s immunity to viruses such as influenza, mumps, measles, typhoid and typhus fever, whilst also lecturing in bacteriology at the university. She was promoted to lecturer-in-charge in 1942 at just 32 years old, and reader-in-charge of bacteriology in 1952, whereupon she joined the university full-time. In 1967 she moved to the Department of Oral Biology until her retirement in 1975.

Atkinson's early work at the IMVS involved the development, production and administration of the BCG vaccine in Australia to combat tuberculosis, as encouraged by Darcy Cowan.{{cite web|last1=Angrove|first1=Roger Clare|title=1991 – Tuberculosis Control in South Australia|url=http://www.healthmuseumsa.org.au/menu/1991-tuberculosis-control-in-south-australia/|publisher=Royal Adelaide Hospital Health Museum|access-date=14 April 2018}} Atkinson and her team at the institute were responsible for manufacturing the first batch of penicillin in Australia, after eighteen months of work produced enough of the antibiotic to cover a threepenny piece in 1943.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128352763 |title=The Making Of Penicillin |newspaper=The News |volume=41 |issue=6,311 |location=South Australia |date=20 October 1943 |access-date=14 April 2018 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}

She also regularly issued public requests of samples of Australian flora such as the Geraldton wax{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49555771 |title=Flowers May Give New Penicillin |newspaper=Barrier Miner |volume=LVII |issue=16,9[?] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=19 October 1944 |access-date=14 April 2018 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} and native fungi, which were then analyzed to determine if they could be used to develop new anti-bacterial substances. In 1943, Atkinson developed penicidin, an antibiotic which was proposed to be used as an alternative to penicillin, however the drug was reclassified in the 1960s as a mycotoxin.{{cite journal|last1=Ismaiel|first1=Ahmed|last2=Papenbrock|first2=Jutta|title=Mycotoxins: Producing Fungi and Mechanisms of Phytotoxicity|journal=Agriculture|date=23 July 2015|volume=5|issue=3|pages=492–537|doi=10.3390/agriculture5030492|url=https://www.repo.uni-hannover.de/bitstream/123456789/30/1/agriculture-05-00492-v2.pdf|doi-access=free|bibcode=2015Agric...5..492I }}

Atkinson specialized in the study of Salmonella bacteria. She established and ran the Salmonella Reference Laboratory (later the Australian Salmonella Reference Centre, a national reference laboratory), and published extensively on the subject.{{cite journal|title=Vale: Nancy Benko (Atkinson) OBE DSc (1910–1999)|journal=Microbiology Australia|date=March 2000|page=46}} In 1943, she discovered a new strain of Salmonella, which she named S. adelaide after South Australia's capital city.{{cite journal|last1=Atkinson|first1=Nancy|title=A new Salmonella type: Salmonella adelaide|journal=Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science|date=8 June 1943|volume=21|issue=3|pages=171–173|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/icb194323.pdf|doi=10.1038/icb.1943.23 }}

In 1958 Atkinson helped co-found the Australian Institute of Microbiology and helped establish the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology – South Australian branch and the Water and Waste Water Association.

At the New Years Honours 1951, Atkinson was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.{{cite web|title=COOK, Nancy (OBE)|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1107772|website=It's an Honour|publisher=Australian Government|access-date=13 April 2018}}

In 1957, the University of Adelaide awarded Atkinson with a Doctor of Science (DSc) degree for her work on antibiotics and salmonellas.

Atkinson's first marriage was to Irving M. Cook, the manager of British Empire Films in South Australia.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78134133 |title=Visit Of Film Company Manager |newspaper=The Border Watch |volume=86 |issue=9638 |location=South Australia |date=2 January 1947 |access-date=14 April 2018 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}} They had a son, Jonathan, born in April 1948.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128386014 |title=Scientist's Son |newspaper=The News |volume=50 |issue=7,717 |location=South Australia |date=29 April 1948 |access-date=14 April 2018 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Her second marriage was to architect Andrew Benko, with whom she founded and ran the Chalk Hill winery in the McLaren Vale region. Under her married name, Nancy Benko, she wrote two books on Australian art—Art and Artists of South Australia and The Art of David Boyd—as well as a biography of Gustave Barnes for the Australian Dictionary of Biography.{{cite AuDB |first=Nancy |last=Benko |author-link= |title=Barnes, Gustave Adrian (1877–1921) |volume= |edition= |year=1979 |id2= |access-date=}}

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Category:1910 births

Category:1999 deaths

Category:Australian bacteriologists

Category:Australian women scientists

Category:University of Melbourne alumni

Category:Academic staff of the University of Melbourne

Category:Academic staff of the University of Adelaide

Category:Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire