Marguerite Davis
Co-discoverer of vitamins A and B in 1913.
via Wikipedia: Davis, California · see source
Marguerite Davis, an American biochemist, was born in Racine, Wisconsin, to a father who was both a physician and a botanist. At the age of ten, she suffered severe burns when her clothing caught fire while playing near a bonfire, a physical handicap noted in the autobiography of her later collaborator. She began her university studies at the University of Wisconsin in 1906, then transferred to the University of California at Berkeley, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics in 1910. After returning to the University of Wisconsin for graduate coursework—though she did not complete a master’s degree—she began working as a research assistant for Elmer Verner McCollum.
In McCollum’s laboratory, Davis was responsible for caring for and expanding a large rat colony, enabling the team to conduct many more experiments than McCollum could have managed alone. Their work focused on identifying trace chemicals in food essential to life, which they called “vitamines.” In 1913, they published a paper in the *Journal of Biological Chemistry* describing a fat-soluble substance they named “fat-soluble A” and a water-soluble substance they called “water-soluble B,” later renamed vitamins A and B. This discovery distinguished their findings from earlier work by Dutch chemist Christiaan Eijkman and laid a foundation for modern nutritional science.
Davis later founded nutrition laboratories at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, worked briefly for the Squibb Pharmaceutical Company in New Jersey, and helped establish a nutrition lab at Rutgers University’s pharmacy school. In 1940, she returned to the University of Wisconsin to teach and research before retiring to Racine, where she lived with her brother. In retirement, she pursued history, gardening, and civic leadership, receiving recognition from Racine’s Women’s Civic Council in 1958. McCollum credited Davis and Stephen Babcock as key to his success, noting that Davis worked in his lab from 1909 to 1916, unpaid for five years and paid only six hundred dollars in her final year. After she left, the rat colony she built was cared for by Nina Simmonds.
- born
- September 16, 1887, Racine, Wisconsin
- died
- September 19, 1967, Racine, Wisconsin
- field
- Biochemistry
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Co-discoverer of vitamins A and B with Elmer Verner McCollum
Lore & Background
Davis enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in 1906, then transferred to the University of California at Berkeley, receiving a bachelor of science degree in home economics in 1910. She returned to the University of Wisconsin for graduate work but did not complete a master's degree. There she began work as a research assistant with McCollum, caring for a large rat colony and helping expand it. Together they carried out many experiments attempting to create mixtures that could replace food in animal diets, studying trace chemicals in foods essential to life, which they called 'vitamines.'
In 1913, Davis and McCollum identified 'fat-soluble A' in fats and distinguished it from 'water-soluble B,' later renamed vitamins A and B. Their discovery was first published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in 1913. She retired in 1940, returning to Racine to live with her brother, and pursued history and gardening. Davis died in Racine on September 19, 1967.
Reader's Guide
Davis’s work alongside Elmer Verner McCollum at the University of Wisconsin focused on identifying trace chemical compounds in food that are essential for life, which they termed “vitamines” based on the hypothesis that these were organic amines. To conduct this research, Davis managed and expanded a large rat colony, enabling the team to perform far more experiments than McCollum could have done alone. In 1913, they published findings in the *Journal of Biological Chemistry* that distinguished two such substances: a fat-soluble compound they called “fat-soluble A” (later renamed Vitamin A) and a water-soluble compound they called “water-soluble B” (later Vitamin B). This distinction between fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins was foundational, directly shaping subsequent investigations into dietary deficiencies and the broader role of vitamins in health. Davis later established nutrition laboratories at the University of Wisconsin, worked briefly for the Squibb Pharmaceutical Company in New Jersey, and helped Rutgers University create a nutrition lab within its pharmacy school. She returned to the University of Wisconsin in 1940 to teach and conduct research before retiring to Racine, Wisconsin, where she pursued history and gardening and was active in civic affairs. Her civic leadership was recognized by Racine’s Women’s Civic Council in 1958. McCollum later credited Davis and Stephen Babcock as key to his success, noting that Davis worked in his lab from 1909 to 1916, unpaid for five years and receiving only $600 in her final year. Her contributions remain a cornerstone of vitamin research.
Did You Know?
- Davis was physically handicapped by severe burns received at age ten when her clothing caught fire while playing at a bonfire.
- Davis's co-discovery of vitamins A and B was first published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in 1913.
- After retiring in 1940, she returned to Racine, Wisconsin, and was recognized as a civic leader by the Women's Civic Council in 1958.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Marguerite Davis?
Marguerite Davis (1887–1967) was an American biochemist born and buried in Racine, Wisconsin. She is best remembered for her landmark 1913 work identifying two essential nutrient classes that later became known as vitamins A and B.
What did Marguerite Davis discover?
In 1913 she pinpointed a fat-soluble and a water-soluble substance in food that organisms cannot synthesize on their own, effectively isolating what we now call vitamins A and B. Her findings laid the groundwork for modern understanding of dietary requirements.
Who did Marguerite Davis work with on the vitamin discovery?
She carried out the research alongside Elmer Verner McCollum, and the two are credited together as co-discoverers of vitamins A and B.
What field of science did Marguerite Davis specialize in?
Her work fell squarely within biochemistry, where she investigated the chemical components of food that sustain life.
Why is Marguerite Davis important to the history of nutrition?
By demonstrating that specific, non-protein, non-carbohydrate, non-fat substances were indispensable for survival, she opened an entirely new line of inquiry into dietary chemistry. Nearly a century of subsequent vitamin research traces its origins back to her 1913 experiments.
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