Physicists & Scientists · Head-to-head
Dorothy Hodgkin vs Vivien Thomas
Yes — based on their recorded years, Dorothy Hodgkin (1910–1994) and Vivien Thomas (1910–1985) were alive at the same time for at least part of their lives.
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Dorothy Hodgkin
Dorothy Hodgkin was an English chemist who advanced X-ray crystallography techniques to determine the structure of complex biomolecules, becoming the only British woman scientist to win a Nobel Prize.
Key achievements
- Advanced X-ray crystallography techniques for determining biomolecular structures.
- Determined the structure of penicillin and vitamin B12.
- Won the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
- Remains the only British woman scientist to have won a Nobel Prize.
Fast fact
Hodgkin's work determining the structure of insulin, which she pursued for over three decades, was finally completed in 1969, capping a career that had already earned her the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Full profile of Dorothy Hodgkin →Vivien Thomas
Vivien Thomas was an American laboratory supervisor who, without a formal medical degree, played a major role in developing the life-saving Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt procedure for treating blue baby syndrome.
Key achievements
- Developed key surgical techniques for treating blue baby syndrome (cyanotic heart disease).
- Played a central role in creating the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt procedure.
- Worked as a laboratory supervisor at Johns Hopkins University despite lacking a formal medical degree.
- Later trained generations of surgeons in the techniques he helped develop.
Fast fact
Thomas developed much of the surgical technique behind the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt through his own laboratory research, despite lacking the formal medical credentials of the surgeon and cardiologist he worked alongside, and he later trained generations of surgeons himself.
Full profile of Vivien Thomas →Who lived first, Dorothy Hodgkin or Vivien Thomas?
Dorothy Hodgkin (1910–1994) lived first, before Vivien Thomas (1910–1985), based on their recorded years.
Were Dorothy Hodgkin and Vivien Thomas contemporaries?
Yes — based on their recorded years, Dorothy Hodgkin (1910–1994) and Vivien Thomas (1910–1985) were alive at the same time for at least part of their lives.
What do Dorothy Hodgkin and Vivien Thomas have in common?
Both Dorothy Hodgkin and Vivien Thomas are grouped among our Physicists & Scientists figures and lived during the Modern Era.