Minnie Abercrombie


Minnie Abercrombie, née Johnson, was a British zoologist. She was known for her work on invertebrates and her work in the publishing industry, conducted with her husband, Michael Abercrombie.

Early life and education

Minnie Johnson was born on 14 November 1909. She attended Waverley Road Secondary School in Birmingham, where she completed the higher school certificate in chemistry, zoology, botany, and history. She earned her B.Sc. and Ph.D from the University of Birmingham in 1930 and 1932, respectively; for studying respiration control in invertebrates.

Career

In 1932, she was appointed as a lecturer in the Zoology Department at her alma mater, and during World War II was promoted to acting head. She married Michael Abercrombie in 1939 and collaborated with him extensively on both scientific and outreach work. The couple began a journal called New Biology in 1945, which was aimed at young people and was highly popular, selling hundreds of thousands of copies in its 31-year run. Abercrombie became an authority on medical education later in life, and also published several books.

Selected publications