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Meet six extraordinary figures in the history of medicine that you’ve probably never heard of, whose contributions range from discovering the causative agent of syphilis to advancing techniques for the study of living cells. Portraits by artist Sam Falconer. [THREAD] 
Paira Mall (1874-1957) was a doctor and linguist. In 1911 he was financed by Henry Wellcome to travel throughout India and the Far East in search of a diverse range of artefacts relevant to the history of medicine. 1/6
Alice Stewart (1906-2002) was a doctor and epidemiologist who demonstrated the link between the x-rays of pregnant women and the subsequent higher risk of cancers in their children. In later life she studied radiation-induced illnesses in employees of a plutonium plant. 2/6
Honor Fell (1900-1986) developed new techniques for the study of living cells in tissue and organ culture. She was the director of the Strangeways Laboratory in Cambridge from 1927-70. She studied the effect of agents including Vitamin A on bone and cartilage development. 3/6
Hideyo Noguchi (1876-1928) was a Japanese bacteriologist. Whilst working at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research he discovered the causative agent of syphilis in the brains of patients with paralysis. He died of yellow fever in Africa whilst researching the disease. 4/6
Robina Addis (1900-1986) was a psychiatric social worker and pioneer in child guidance and family mental health therapy. She lectured and campaigned widely in support of more humane care for children and held senior roles in the field. 5/6
Lillias Hamilton (1858-1925) was one of the earliest female doctors in Britain. She worked as personal physician to the Amir of Afghanistan, the warden of Studley College in Warwickshire (training women for careers in horticulture and agriculture) & as a doctor in Serbia. 6/6
Discover more fascinating and surprising articles exploring the curious connections between science, medicine, life and art over on Wellcome Stories. wellcomecollection.org/stories
