Brazier, Mary A. B. (Mary Agnes Burniston), 1904-1995

Mary A.B. "Mollie" Brazier was born in England in 1904 and died in Falmouth, Mass. in 1995. Dr. Brazier received her Ph. D. in physiology and biochemistry from the University of London in 1930, began neuroscience research at Maudsley Hospital, London, and in 1940 came to Boston on a Rockefeller fellowship. She remained at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for twenty years, then moved to the Brain Research Institute at UCLA until her retirement. She was internationally known as an outstanding neuroscientist, historian, author, and editor.

From the description of Papers, 1941-1995. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 62558436

Biography

Brain researcher, neuroscientist, electroencephalographer, historian, computer analyst, author and editor par excellance, international organizer -- "Mollie" Brazier's career can not be summed up easily or tersely. She was a vibrant figure in the community of those studying the electrical activity of the nervous system, and her passing was mourned by colleagues around the world.

Dr. Brazier was born near Bristol, England in 1904 and died in Falmouth, Massachusetts in 1995. She attended Bedford College, the University of London (BSc, 1926, PhD in physiology and biochemistry, 1930), and then began research at the Maudsley Hospital, London. In 1940, a Rockefeller fellowship brought her to Boston where she remained for twenty years. Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were her sites of activity, and computer analysis of brain electrical activity became increasingly the focus of her research. In 1961 she left Boston for the newly created Brain Research Institute at UCLA, where she remained as Professor of Anatomy, Physiology, and Biophysics until 1988.

Dr. Brazier's extensive publications cover a wide variety of topics. In addition to the many articles on electroencephalography and its statistical analysis, she produced important books and essays on the history of the electrical activity of the nervous system, on Russian neurophysiology and its history, on early calculating machines, and on individual scientists and philosophers who caught her particular interest.

The University of London bestowed a DSc in neurophysiology on Dr. Brazier in 1960. In 1976, The University of Utrecht honored her with an MD degree. Her many honors, awards, and positions also included serving as Secretary General of the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and as president of the American EEG Society, receiving Research Career Awards from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke and the Grey Walter Medal of the British EEG Society. Elsevier Scientific Publishers established The M. A. B. Brazier Young Investigator Award in her honor, under the auspices of the International Federation of Societies for Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology. She was a member of some fifteen professional societies

From the guide to the Mary Agnes Burniston Brazier Papers, 1941-1995, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division)