Dr. Breitenberger’s presentation was very empowering as she discussed the major contributions of women in science in England and France. The gender inequality has always frustrated me in the past, as many women did not receive any recognition for their contributions towards science and all other fields. I thought it was really interesting to hear about the origin of the tongue twister “she sells sea shells by the sea shore”. Mary Anning spent much of her life collecting fossils, and that not only helped support her family but also scientific research on what organisms lived on this planet before humans. I also thought it was really interesting how Émilie du Châtelet and Marie-Anne Lavoisier both made contributions in translating books and documents into French. This makes me wonder, how advanced would science be today if there was never a language barrier?
Another thought that hit me was the evolution of nursing. It has been common for more females to take the role of a nurse rather than males in the past. Women have previously been seen as the ones to be the caretakers. With this being the case, women probably had just as much exposure to medicine as men in the past. I’m curious what discoveries and advancements would have occurred in the field of medicine if there was gender equality in the past, because women were so involved in the medical field but often ignored when it came to research.
You may want to research Florence Nightengale, Jenna, in regards to nursing and paradigm shifts. I came across this museum, which I think may be interesting to visit when we were looking at lesser known venues in the two cities.
https://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/?v=7516fd43adaa