Ella Tyree

Ella B. Tyree (born c. 1920)[1] was an American medical researcher. She worked in the mid-twentieth century investigating effects of radiation poisoning in animals and potential treatments.

Ella B. Tyree
Tyree in 1949 at Argonne Lab
Bornc. 1920
NationalityUnited States
Alma materSpelman College
Known forRadiation research
Scientific career
Fields
  • Biology
  • Medicine
InstitutionsMetallurgical Laboratory

Education

Tyree attended Spelman College.[1] She trained in biology.[2]

Career

In 1941, Executive Order 8802 was passed to prevent discriminatory hiring practices in defense and many Black Americans sought work in government projects related to the Manhattan Project. The type of position varied according to education and training, but there were scientists, technicians, construction workers, domestic workers and janitors. In the Jim Crow era, these positions were an opportunity for higher, stable pay and for advancement. However, segregation and racist practices in housing were still common.[3]

Tyree became a laboratory technician at the Metallurgical Laboratory in Chicago during the Manhattan Project. She worked in the Health Division and managed the animal farm which supplied the researchers with subjects for radiation experiments.[4] In 1949, her team, led by Dr. Harvey M. Patt, reported that preemptively treating mice with cysteine provided protection from normally-lethal radiation doses.[5] They theorized that the amino acid could prevent damage to cells exposed to X-rays. The treatment could be delivered orally or by injection in the hour preceding radiation exposure, and led to approximate survival rates of 80% compared to 20% when untreated. It did not help after exposure.[6] In addition to the growing interest in radiation research from the perspective of atomic weapons, it was also seen as a potential aid in cancer treatments to protect surrounding areas from radiation damage when administering high radiation doses.[7]

Publications

References
  1. Benjamin, Ruha; Ph.D. (2013-03-25). "Beyond Tokenistic Inclusion: Science, Citizenship, and Changing the Questions". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  2. Landrum, Shane (2005-05-13). ""IN LOS ALAMOS, I FEEL LIKE I'M A REAL CITIZEN": BLACK ATOMIC SCIENTISTS, EDUCATION, AND CITIZENSHIP, 1945-1960" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  3. "African Americans and the Manhattan Project". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  4. "Ella B. Tyree". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  5. Associated Press (1949-09-01). "Animals Protected From Lethal Rays By New Injection". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  6. International News Service (1949-08-31). "Chemical Defends Animals Against Deadly X-rays". The Tipton Daily Tribune. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  7. Gibbons, Roy (1949-08-31). "FIND CHEMICAL TO HALT DANGER OF LETHAL RAYS: Atom Experts Save Small Animals". Retrieved 2021-05-03.

See also
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