Betty Jo Teeter Dobbs

Betty Jo Teeter Dobbs (born 19 October 1930 in Camden, Arkansas, † March 29, 1994 at the Grand Canyon ) was an American historian of science. She was a professor at the University of California, Davis.

Dobbs studied chemistry at Hendrix College in Arkansas, Psychology at the University of Arkansas and history at the University of North Carolina. After they had been twenty years housewife, she went to the University again and taught at a number of universities such as Northwestern University and from 1991 as a professor of history at the University of California, Davis. She died of a heart attack while visiting the Grand Canyon.

She was a visiting scientist ( Residential Fellow ) at the Huntington Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library. In 1993, she was Distinguished Lecturer of History of Science Society.

Dobbs is known to have uncovered a hitherto largely unknown side of Isaac Newton, his intensive study of alchemy.

In 1997, she was posthumously awarded the George Sarton Medal.

Writings

• The Foundations of Newton's Alchemy or The Hunting of the Green Lyon, Cambridge University Press 1975
• Alchemical Death and Resurrection: the Significance of alchemy in the age of Newton, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, 1990 (Lecture by Dobbs at the Smithsonian Libraries)
• The Janus Faces of Genius: The Role of Alchemy in Newton 's Thought, Cambridge University Press 1991
• Margaret C. Jacob: Newton and the culture of Newtonianism, Humanities Press, 1995
• Alchemical cosmogony and Arian theology at Isaac Newton, in: Meinel, Christoph (ed. ): The Alchemy in European culture and history of science. [ Lectures held on the occasion of the 16th Wolfenbütteler symposium from April 2 to 5, 1984 in the Herzog August Bibliothek ]. Wiesbaden 1986. Pp. 137-150.