Here is an excerpt from an article by Denise Grady for The New York Times in which she discusses an exhibition, “Extraordinary Women in Science and Medicine,’ that offers up little-known details about female pioneers in science, nine of whom were awarded Nobel Prizes. To read the complete article, please click here.

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Florence Nightingale, a statistician? Marie Curie, driving to the front during World War I to X-ray wounded soldiers?

Yes, and yes.

Many such tantalizing and little-known details are part ofan exhibitionabout the lives of 32 women who made major contributions in physics, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, computing and medicine, from the 17th century through the 20th. Some of the women are famous, many not. Nine won Nobel Prizes.

The exhibition celebrates their accomplishments, and makes it plain that they are all the more extraordinary given the deeply entrenched biases they had to overcome. There were parents who thought it improper or wasteful to educate girls; universities and professional societies that would not admit women; employers who either would not hire them or would not pay a fair wage. But there were also mentors and champions who opened doors and gave credit where it was due.

The exhibition was about three years in the making, the work of three scholars of science history who collect books, manuscripts and research memorabilia: Ronald K. Smeltzer, a retired electrical engineer; Paulette Rose, a dealer in rare books; and Robert J. Ruben, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Many of the items on display come from their personal collections, though some were borrowed from libraries and museums. Deft biographical sketches, published in the exhibition’s catalog, describe the women’s scientific work and weave it into the context of their personal lives and the times in which they lived.

One of the more irresistible chapters concerns Hertha Ayrton, born in Britain in 1854, who as a teenager dropped her given name, Phoebe, to adopt that of a goddess.

She became an electrical engineer specializing in electric arcs and lighting systems, and published a series of papers and a textbook about them. But at a meeting of the Royal Society of London in 1902, she was not allowed to present her own work; her paper had to be read to the gathering by a man. The Royal Society also declared her ineligible for membership, and did not accept a woman until 1945.

Ayrton was involved in the suffragist movement, and among the treasures in the exhibit is a copy of a 1911 census form for England and Wales that was sent to her. She mailed it back blank but for her signature and a bold, elegant scrawl: “How can I answer all these questions if I have not the intelligence to choose between two candidates for parliament? I will not supply these particulars until I have my rights as a citizen. Votes for Women.”

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To read the complete article, please click here.

Denise Grady has been a reporter in the science news department of The New York Times since September 1998, and has also worked as a health editor. She wrote for The Times for several years before that as a freelancer. Ms. Grady has written more than 700 articles about medicine and biology for The Times; edited two Times books, one on women’s health and one on alternative medicine; and has written Deadly Invaders: Virus Outbreaks Around the World, from Marburn Fever to Avian Flu , a book about emerging viruses that was published in October 2006. Her work for The Times includes reporting on health from Sri Lanka, Angola, Tanzania and Jordan. You can contact here directly by clicking here.