Edith Paterson

Edith Isabel Paterson born Edith Isabel Myfanwy Jones (21 November 1900 – 27 September 1995) was a Scottish radiobiologist. She developed techniques for treating children with brain tumours. She pioneered cancer research and in 1967 the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester was named to recognise her and her husband's contribution.

Life Paterson was born to Henry and Margaret at 221 Gorgie Road in Edinburgh. Her father was a general practitioner who conducted his visits using a pony and trap.

Legacy In 1967 In 1967 Manchester's new research labs were named the Paterson Laboratories, and later the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research to commemorate the Paterson's achievement.

Edith's contribution was recognised by the politician Fred Silvester in 1986 in the House of Commons during a debate over Christie Hospital in Manchester which he believed was one of the best centres for the treatment of cancer in Europe. Silvester noted that the hospitals position developed from "Cancer research ... pioneered there since the mid-1940s when Dr. Edith Paterson, an expert in radiation biology, was at work."