Crosby, Elizabeth (1888–1983)

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Crosby, Elizabeth (1888–1983)

American anatomist. Born Elizabeth Caroline Crosby, Oct 25, 1888, in Petersburg, Michigan; died 1983; dau. of Lewis Frederick Crosby and Frances Kreps Crosby; Adrian College, BS in math, 1910; University of Chicago, MS in anatomy, PhD, 1915; children: 2 (adopted).

Mentor to thousands of students, was a world expert of animal nervous systems (vertebrate phylum); in anatomy, served as instructor (1920–26), assistant professor (1926–29), associate professor (1929–36), then 1st female professor (1936–58), and professor emerita (1958–83) at University of Michigan Medical School; took 1-year leave to help University of Aberdeen's Marischal College (Scotland) develop a neuroanatomy department; retired (1958). Was 1st woman recipient of Henry Russell Lectureship (1946); given American Association of Anatomists' Henry Gray Award (1972) and National Medal of Science (1979).

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