The Rosalind Revolution by Allyson

The Rosalind Revolution by Allyson - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

If I could sit down and have a chat with any historical figure, I’d be interested in picking the brain of the late British female scientist, Rosalind Franklin. The woman was extraordinary in her accomplishment of being the original discoverer of the double helix structure of DNA. A doctoral student of Cambridge University and later working in a lab in Paris, she became proficient in x-ray diffraction techniques, which she later took back with her to the prestigious King’s College in London. There, she was assigned as a fellow DNA researcher to Maurice Wilkins, who happened to be away from the lab at the time Franklin was given the DNA project. Upon his return, Wilkins, misunderstood Franklin to be the lab’s research assistant, not realizing she was actually his peer. At the time, the status of women scientists, as you can imagine, was relegated to less important roles and little credit given when due.

As she became extremely close to figuring out the double helix structure, one of Rosalind’s crystallographic photographs was later shown, unbeknownst to her, by Wilkins to two other scientists by the names of James Watson and Francis Crick. Because of their close ties with Wilkins, and his animosity towards Franklin, Watson and Crick were quick to send the research to the publication, Nature, leaving Rosalind Franklin largely unrecognized. Shortly, thereafter Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the findings, and Franklin, probably due to the lack of safety standards we practice with x-ray technology today, succumbed to ovarian cancer a couple of years later in 1958. Because of the controversy around how the DNA discovery came to light, she was never later honored for her work, as the Nobel committee doesn’t award the prize posthumously.

To me, I’d love to hear her story of the barriers she faced as a female scientist. As much as we’d like to believe that we’re truly a more progressive society, the 1950s and 60s, still weren’t very long ago. I find that women in the scientific fields are still somewhat kept under a glass ceiling, but we at least have a major outlet, like the Internet and social media, to air our grievances and build a support system. Franklin didn’t have that technology at the time, and yet she was a trailblazer with the resources she had compared to today. If only she could’ve known how incredibly important her work and discovery is to us today, and that she broke ground on understanding our unique biologic differences.

As we progress into honing our skills for better healthcare, and with the brainpower and grit of women in biochemistry and medicine like Franklin, I believe we’ll begin to see better outcomes for women because we’re beginning to realize that most of the medical literature and research studies have been on Caucasian men—not ones done specifically tailored to women. We’ll be able to better tailor unique medications and treatments for each of the sexes based on their unique needs. Organizations like Sex and Gender Women’s Health Collaborative and American Medical Women’s Association are building on the pioneering accomplishments of Franklin, and if given the chance, I’d love to say to her: Look what you’ve started! Thank you!