I appreciate Margaret Rossiter's comments about my book Women in Science: Antiquity Through the Nineteenth Century (The Scientist, February 9, 1987, p. 18). Rossiter recognized the difficulties involved in collecting scattered data and rendering it into a useful reference volume. She made a point that I think is important, that "once left out of a biographical dictionary, persons tend to be omitted from subsequent history and memory of their accomplishments essentially vanishes from sight and honor."
There are many women omitted from this work who do not deserve oblivion. Seldom does a day pass when I do not find a person who might have been included in the dictionary. I have established a data base file entitled "New Women," where I keep information for an update of the original work. In many ways, I view this project as one of "filling in the blanks." I have filled...
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