Morgan, Agnes Fay

Morgan, Agnes Fay (b. Jane Agnes Fay) (1884–1968) biochemist, nutritionist; born in Peoria, Ill. Educated at the University of Chicago (B.S., M.S., Ph.D.), she taught at the University of California: Berkeley (1915–54), where she helped organize (1919) what was to become a nationally outstanding home economics department. A founder of the science of nutrition, Morgan's research focused on the analysis of nutrients in foods, the stability of vitamins and proteins during food processing, and the physiological effects of vitamin deficiencies; especially noteworthy was her discovery of the role of pantothenic acid in adrenal function and pigmentation. Her work for government and private agencies included the development of improved methods of dehydrating foods.