Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Published : May 12, 2014 8:12 AM IST
On May 12, 2014 Google tipped its hat to one of the greatest women in sciences as it celebrated Dorothy Mary Hodgkin's 104th birthday with a doodle that included the molecular model of penicillin which Dorothy completed in 1945. One can say without doubt that without that particular model, the healthcare system around the globe and the antibiotic revolution would've been very different.
Born on May 12, 1990 in Cairo, Egypt, Dorothy is the third woman to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry the others being the mother-daughter duo of Marie Curie (1911) and Irene Joilot-Curie (1935).
Her major achievements include the development of X-ray crystallography as a tool to determine the atomic and molecular structure of biomolecules, confirmation of the structure of penicillin, the structure of B12 (for which she won the Nobel Prize) and finally after 35 years of work, deciphering the structure of insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas which is responsible for regulating blood glucose level in the human body and holds the key to a new-age lifestyle disease known as diabetes.
What is penicillin?
It's an antibiotic or group of antibiotics produced naturally by certain blue moulds, now usually prepared synthetically. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 and during the Second World War became the first antibiotic to be used by doctors.
What is vitamin B complex?
Vitamin B-complex: Promotes DNA formation. Helps forming red blood cells, betters immunity and also improves lactation in nursing mothers and prevents birth deformities in pregnant women. It is also needed for absorption of vitamin B12.
Sources: Chicken, tuna and salmon.
B group of vitamins: To produce healthy red blood cells. They are also needed to properly utilise carbs, proteins, and fats from the food we eat, for proper functioning of our brain and spinal cord, for energy and to prevent depression.
Sources: B1 (thiamine) whole grains, legumes, eggs
B2 (riboflavin) milk and eggs
B3 (niacin) beans like rajma, chana, chawli, peanuts, peas
B6 (pyridoxine) corn, wheat, sweet potato, milk. (Pantothenic acid) yeast, legumes, egg yolk and sweet potato and corn.
B12 non-veg food like shell fish, beef liver, Swiss cheese, and negligible amounts in egg yolk
B9 (Folic Acid) dark leafy vegetables, beets, beans, peas, lentils, broccoli, seeds and nuts.
Read more about the essential vitamins
What is insulin?
It is a type of peptide hormone produced by the beta cells of the pancreas and is responsible for regulating carbohydrates and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin regulates the absorption of glucose by the liver, skeletal muscles and fat tissues from the blood. It is important that excess glucose is removed from the body, otherwise it can be toxic insulin plays an important part in making this happen. In cases where there is a lack of insulin in the blood the body starts to use stored sugar as a source of energy. People with diabetes mellitus or type 2 diabetes, have a lack of insulin in the blood and a medical form of the insulin is used to replace it. In the case of type 1 diabetes patients are administered insulin externally.
The doodle dedicated to Dorothy is based on the protein X-ray crystallography developments and contributions made by Dorothy Hodgkin. The Doodle includes the Molecular model of Penicillin which Dorothy had completed in 1945.
Check out more Google Doodles. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.
