Michalina Stefanowska

Michalina Stefanowska (; November 20, 1855 – December 15, 1942) was a Polish neurophysiologist and biologist. She was a member of the Poznań Society of Friends of Sciences and the second woman (following Marie Curie) to become a member of the Polish Academy of Learning.

Life

Early life Born to Ferdynand and Joanna of Sienkiewicz, Michalina spent her early life in her home village of Grodno, Congress Poland where she was a teacher in nature and geography until attending the University of Geneva. In 1922, she was appointed as assistant professor of physiology and neurology and then in the following year she became professor of anthropology until 1939. She saw how observing animal behavior could be applied to human behavior. Her early research, published in the Solvay Institute's Travaux, dealt with nerve-cell organization, neurotransmission mechanisms and the effects of anesthesia and electrical stimulation on cortical circuits.

Due to her broad interests in the sciences and her experiences in teaching, Stefanowska recognized the importance of science education. She contributed a translation for the Polish public of work from French scientists in an effort to increase interest in the natural sciences.

Awards, honors and tributes Following Marie Curie, Stefanowska was the second woman to be inducted as a member of the Polish Academy of Learning as a corresponding member in 1931 and held membership in the Poznań Society of Friends of Sciences.

Publications Source: translation of Heaven Camille Flammarion (1892) Sensory asymmetry and centers for pain with Józefa Joteyko (1904) Life in the ocean. Description of popular plants and marine animals (1905) The evolution of neuron theory (1908)