STEM GLAM GALLERY: Frederick Hopkins

AH-CHOO! Urgh, it’s that time of the year again. So many people around are catching a cold, and we’re definitely NOT interested in joining them. To ward off the cold, it’s important to get enough rest and maintain a balanced diet so that our immune system remains strong. Vitamin C is proven to be effective in preventing colds; so be sure to eat Vitamin-C-rich foods like kale, chili peppers, cauliflower, papaya, and strawberries during this time. Speaking of vitamins, we all know today that vitamins play an essential role in our bodily functions and that we’re prone to fall sick without adequate vitamin intake, but this wasn’t common knowledge until about a century ago, before Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins discovered the importance of “accessory food factors” – vitamins. And this week’s Glam Gallery report is in his honor.

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Frederick Hopkins was a talented student in his school days. He was awarded the first-class prize in chemistry in 1874 and also a science prize through an examination at the College of Preceptors. As he graduated the City of London School at age 17, he published his first paper in The Entomologist on the bombardier beetle.

Though he spent several years working as a clerk in an insurance firm at first, he eventually found his way back to academia through a chemistry course at The Royal School of Mines. He then decided to pursue science at a higher level and enrolled at the University College in London. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1890 and his doctorate in physiology in 1902.