Minnie Abercrombie

Minnie Abercrombie (14 November 1909 – 25 November 1984), née Johnson, was a British zoologist. She was known for her work on invertebrates and her work in the publishing industry, conducted with her husband, Michael Abercrombie.

Minnie Johnson was born on November 14, 1909. She attended Waverley Road Secondary School in Birmingham, where she completed certificates in chemistry, zoology, botany, and history. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Ph.D from the University of Birmingham in 1930 and 1932, respectively; for studying respiration control in invertebrates.

In 1932, she was appointed as a lecturer in the Zoology Department at her alma mater, and during World War II was promoted to acting head. She married Michael Abercrombie in 1939 and collaborated with him extensively on both scientific and outreach work. The couple began a journal called New Biology in 1945, which was aimed at young people and was highly popular, selling hundreds of thousands of copies in its 31-year run. Abercrombie became an authority on medical education later in life, and also published several books.

• Johnson, ML and RJ Whitney (1939) Colorimetric method for estimation of dissolved oxygen in the field. J. Experimental Biology 16 (1) 56 - 59.
• Johnson, ML (1942) The respiratory function of the haemoglobin of the earthworm. J. Experimental Biology 18 (3) 266 - 277.