{{short description|American biochemist}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Elizabeth Bugie | image = Elizabeth_Gregory.jpg | caption = Elizabeth Bugie in the lab | birth_date = {{birth date|1920|10|05}} | death_date = {{death date and age|2001|04|10|1920|10|05}} | alma_mater = Rutgers University<br />New Jersey College for Women | thesis_title = Production of antibiotic substances by Aspergillus flavus and Chaetomium cochliodes | thesis_url = https://rutgers.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01RUT_INST:01RUT&docid=alma991014836289704646 | thesis_year = 1944 | doctoral_advisor = Selman Waksman | known_for = Streptomycin }}
'''Elizabeth Bugie Gregory''' (October 5, 1920 – April 10, 2001) was an American biochemist who co-discovered Streptomycin, the first antibiotic against ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' in Selman Waksman laboratory at Rutgers University.<ref name=":0" /> Waksman went on to win the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1952 and took the credit for the discovery.
== Early life and education == Elizabeth Bugie was born to Charles Bugie and Madeline Turbett. Bugie's father never studied beyond high school, and was committed to her education.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.scientistafoundation.com/discovher-science/elizabeth-bugie-the-invisible-woman-in-the-discovery-of-streptomycin|title=Elizabeth Bugie – the invisible woman in the discovery of streptomycin|last=Angelova|first=Lidiya|website=Scientista {{!}} Women in STEM|access-date=2018-08-16}}</ref> He encouraged her to explore her curiosity, prompting her to be analytical and strong-willed.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web|title=Obiturary: Elizabeth Gregory / Did McCandless woman get fair shake for role in discovery of streptomycin?|url=http://old.post-gazette.com/obituaries/20010414gregory2.asp|access-date=2021-12-04|website=old.post-gazette.com|archive-date=2021-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129213617/http://old.post-gazette.com/obituaries/20010414gregory2.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Bugie studied microbiology at the New Jersey College for Women.<ref name=":0" /> She was a master's student at Rutgers University, working with Selman Waksman.<ref name=":0" /> Her master's thesis, ''Production of antibiotic substances by aspergillus flavus and chaetomium cochliodes'', looked to optimise the production of flavicin and chaetomin.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://rutgers.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=01RUT_INST:01RUT&docid=alma991014836289704646|title=Production of antibiotic substances by aspergillus flavus and chaetomium cochliodes}}</ref>
== Career == Bugie worked on antimicrobials which could protect plants from Dutch elm disease.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Waksman|first1=Selman A.|last2=Bugie|first2=Elizabeth|date=1943-10-01|title=Action of Antibiotic Substances Upon Ceratostotnella ulmi|journal=Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine|volume=54|issue=1|pages=79–82|doi=10.3181/00379727-54-14310|s2cid=87534513|issn=0037-9727|author-link=Selman Abraham Waksman}}</ref> In 1944 Bugie, Waksman and Albert Schatz identified streptomycin in cultures of soil organisms, an antibiotic which was found to be active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/science/history-of-medicine/Medicine-in-the-20th-century#ref702680|title=History of medicine - Medicine in the 20th century|work=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2018-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Schatz|first1=Albert|last2=Bugle|first2=Elizabeth|last3=Waksman|first3=Selman A.|date=1944-01-01|title=Streptomycin, a Substance Exhibiting Antibiotic Activity Against Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria.|journal=Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine|volume=55|issue=1|pages=66–69|doi=10.3181/00379727-55-14461|s2cid=33680180|issn=0037-9727|author-link=Albert Schatz (scientist)}}</ref> Bugie was told that it was not important for her name to be on the patent as she would "one day get married and have a family".<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8352397/elizabeth_bugie_gregory_published/|title=Elizabeth (Bugie) Gregory - published landmark article in 1944 - Newspapers.com|work=Newspapers.com|access-date=2018-08-16}}</ref> Waksman went on to win the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1952 and took all the credit for the discovery of streptomycin.<ref name=":0" /> Waksman claimed that Bugie was more involved in the discovery than Schatz.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/selmanwaksman.html|title=Selman Waksman and Antibiotics - Landmark - American Chemical Society|website=American Chemical Society|access-date=2018-08-16}}</ref> Waksman also wrote articles about his discovery, rarely mentioning help he had received.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/streptomycin-8212-arrogance-and-anger/20016685.article|title=Streptomycin — arrogance and anger|work=Pharmaceutical Journal|access-date=2018-08-16|archive-date=2018-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817023413/https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/streptomycin-8212-arrogance-and-anger/20016685.article|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bugie was eventually awarded 0.2% of the royalties for streptomycin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.albertschatzphd.com/?cat=about&subcat=newspapers&itemnum=012|title=Their Dispute Over Discovery of Streptomycin Is Settled|website=www.albertschatzphd.com|access-date=2018-08-16}}</ref> After the discovery of streptomycin, Bugie worked on micromonosporin, a pigmented glycoprotein which was active against gram-positive bacteria.<ref>{{Cite Q|Q40037245|last=Waksman|first=Selman A.|last2=Geiger|first2=Walton B.|last3=Bugie|first3=Elizabeth}}</ref> Bugie worked for Merck & Co., evaluating pyrazinoic acid and penicillin as antibiotics against mycobacterium tuberculosis.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Eveleigh|first1=Douglas E.|last2=Bennett|first2=Joan W.|date=2018-05-01|title=Women Microbiologists at Rutgers in the Early Golden Age of Antibiotics|doi=10.1128/9781555819545|isbn=9781555819538|author2-link=Joan W. Bennett}}</ref> Bugie developed several antimicrobial substances.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Waksman|first1=Selman A.|last2=Bugie|first2=Elizabeth|date=September 1943|title=Strain Specificity and Production of Antibiotic Substances|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America| volume=29|issue=9|pages=282–288|issn=0027-8424|pmc=1078613|pmid=16578091|doi=10.1073/pnas.29.9.282|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Waksman|first1=S. A.|last2=Bugie|first2=E.|date=November 1944|title=Chaetomin, a New Antibiotic Substance Produced by Chaetomium cochliodes: I. Formation and Properties|journal=Journal of Bacteriology|volume=48|issue=5|pages=527–530|doi=10.1128/jb.48.5.527-530.1944|issn=0021-9193|pmid=16560863|pmc=374002}}</ref>
==Personal life and death== After graduating, Bugie married Francis Joseph Gregory, who also worked as a microbiologist in the Waksman lab.<ref name=":0" /> Bugie eventually returned to academia to get a degree in library science after raising her family.<ref name=":0" /> Bugie's daughter, Eileen Gregory, is a microbiologist at Rollins College.<ref name=":0" /> and has stated that her mother "did research not for notoriety but for love of science".<ref name=":22"/> Bugie died on April 10, 2001.<ref>{{cite news|last= Snowbeck|first=Christopher|url=http://old.post-gazette.com/obituaries/20010414gregory2.asp|url-status=dead|title=Obiturary: Elizabeth Gregory / Did McCandless woman get fair shake for role in discovery of streptomycin?|date=April 14, 2001|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720093829/http://old.post-gazette.com/obituaries/20010414gregory2.asp|archive-date=July 20, 2019|access-date=September 23, 2021}}</ref> She died still not being on the patent for Streptomycin. [https://www.ladyscience.com/features/forgotten-women-researchers-in-the-race-for-antibiotics-2021]
== Discovery of streptomycin == In the discovery of Streptomycin three people played a large role, namely Waksman, Shatz, and Bugie, later known as Elizabeth Gregory. They worked closely together to ultimately, as a group, discover streptomycin. Waksman historically received the most recognition.
When looking at the contributions made to the study and discovery of streptomycin, Bugie contributed as much, if not more than Shatz.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Selman Waksman and Antibiotics - Landmark|url=https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/selmanwaksman.html|access-date=2021-12-04|website=American Chemical Society|language=en}}</ref> However there was an uneven distribution in compensation that each contributor received. Schatz sued Waksman in order to get royalties,<ref name=":0" /> but when each got their share, Waksman received 10%, Schatz 3%, and all of the other members of the lab shared the last 7%, in which Bugie received 0.2%.<ref name=":22"/> When the patent was created, neither Waksman nor Shatz included Bugie, claiming that it would not matter because someday she would be married and have kids.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=The Forgotten Women of the Antibiotics Race|url=https://www.ladyscience.com/features/forgotten-women-researchers-in-the-race-for-antibiotics-2021|access-date=2021-12-04|website=Lady Science|language=en-US}}</ref> When the patent was originally signed, Bugie signed an affidavit.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Wainwright|first=Milton|date=1991|title=Streptomycin: Discovery and Resultant Controversy|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23330620|journal=History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences|volume=13|issue=1|pages=97–124|jstor=23330620 |pmid=1882032 |issn=0391-9714}}</ref> In this affidavit, Bugie stated that she was informed about streptomycin by Waksman and Shatz and had no part in the discovery of streptomycin.<ref name=":4" /> Bugie was, however, later quoted by her daughters as having said that if the women's liberation movement had been present, she would have received credit towards the patent on streptomycin.<ref name=":0" /> Shatz explained "the fact that Waksman asked her to do the work was a testimonial to her talents and competence,"<ref name=":22"/>showing how much of an impact she actually made, and how little she was compensated for it.
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bugie, Elizabeth}} Category:1920 births Category:2001 deaths Category:American microbiologists Category:American women microbiologists Category:Rutgers University alumni Category:20th-century American women Category:20th-century American chemists