Katharina Dalton
Katharina Dorothea Dalton (née Kuipers; 11 November 1916 – 17 September 2004) was a British physician and pioneer in the research and treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). She co-coined the term "premenstrual syndrome" and became the first female president of the general practice section of the Royal Society of Medicine.
| Katharina Dalton | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 11 November 1916, London, England |
| Died | 17 September 2004 (aged 87), Poole, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | London Foot Hospital (chiropody); Royal Free Hospital (medical degree) |
| Occupation | Physician, gynaecologist |
| Known for | Pioneering research on premenstrual syndrome (PMS); coining the term "PMS"; progesterone therapy; first female president of the general practice section of the Royal Society of Medicine |
| Notable works | Once a Month (book on PMS); 1953 paper with Dr. Raymond Greene first using the term "premenstrual syndrome" |
| Website | pms.org.uk |
Early life[edit]
Katharina Dorothea Kuipers was born in London on 11 November 1916 to parents Anna Knoester and Johannes Kuipers. Her father, a merchant and freemason, died when Dalton was young. Despite her family's financial troubles, she attended the Royal Masonic School for Girls in London on a scholarship.[1]
Education and career[edit]
Dalton initially trained as a chiropodist after winning a scholarship to the London Foot Hospital. She married her first husband, Wilfred Thompson, in 1939, but he died in World War II shortly after their son was born.
Following her husband's death, Dalton obtained a medical degree at the Royal Free Hospital. Before graduating, she married Thomas Dalton, with whom she had three more children. She practiced at University College Hospital.
Dalton's interest in PMS began in 1948 when, as a pregnant 32-year-old medical student, she noticed her monthly migraine headaches had disappeared. Consulting with endocrinologist Dr. Raymond Greene, she concluded that the headaches could be attributed to a deficiency in progesterone.
In 1953, Greene and Dalton published their landmark paper "The premenstrual syndrome" in the British Medical Journal[2], first using the term "premenstrual syndrome."
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