--- title: Google Celebrates Scientist Lucy Wills for Improving the Health of Pregnant Women description: English hematologist Lucy Wills found Marmite, which contains folic acid, could treat prenatal anaemia. canonical: https://time.com/5587196/lucy-wills-google-doodle/ author: Billy Perrigo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-10T11:58:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T23:29:56.926Z article:section: Science og:title: Google Celebrates Scientist Lucy Wills for Improving the Health of Pregnant Women og:description: English hematologist Lucy Wills found Marmite, which contains folic acid, could treat prenatal anaemia. og:url: https://time.com/5587196/lucy-wills-google-doodle/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc64c6e33a8b7d8ec/698949c0457a526515d61082/lucy-wills-131st-birthday-5156345727680512-2x.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: lucy-wills-131st-birthday-5156345727680512-2x og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Google Celebrates Scientist Lucy Wills for Improving the Health of Pregnant Women twitter:description: English hematologist Lucy Wills found Marmite, which contains folic acid, could treat prenatal anaemia. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc64c6e33a8b7d8ec/698949c0457a526515d61082/lucy-wills-131st-birthday-5156345727680512-2x.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Google Celebrates Lucy Wills, Who Found a Simple Solution to Improve the Health of Pregnant Women Everywhere ## Video: How Google Makes its Doodles [Watch (HLS stream): How Google Makes its Doodles](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/upF0qp1E.m3u8) (3:23)  _Published 2018-07-07. Our videographer went to the Googleplex in Mountain View, California to meet some of the designers and coders who create the special, clever variations on the Google.com logo known as_  by [Billy Perrigo](https://time.com/author/billy-perrigo/)  ## Billy Perrigo Correspondent May 10, 2019 11:58 AM UTC  The Google Doodle on May 10, 2019 celebrated English scientist Lucy Wills The Google Doodle on May 10, 2019 celebrated English scientist Lucy WillsGoogle  by [Billy Perrigo](https://time.com/author/billy-perrigo/)  ## Billy Perrigo Correspondent May 10, 2019 11:58 AM UTC The pioneering [English hematologist Lucy Wills](https://www.google.com/doodles/lucy-wills-131st-birthday), whose research into women’s health during pregnancy changed the lives of millions around the globe, was celebrated in Friday’s [Google Doodle.](http://time.com/5553290/seiichi-miyake-google-doodle/) Wills conducted research into prenatal macrocytic anaemia in India in the 1920s and 1930s, where pregnant textile workers in Bombay were suffering from the condition. She hypothesized that the condition, which causes red blood cells to become enlarged and can be life-threatening, was related to the diets of those affected. After feeding monkeys with the condition the popular yeasty breakfast spread Marmite, she observed that their symptoms alleviated. Later studies based on her research found that it is a lack of folic acid, which Marmite contains, that causes the condition. Her work immediately benefited pregnant textile workers in Bombay, where she was based, and folic acid is now recommended for pregnant women everywhere. “Remembered for her wry sense of humor, Wills enjoyed mountain climbing, cross-country skiing, and rode a bicycle to work rather than driving in a car,” Google wrote. “She devoted much of her life to traveling the world and working to ensure the health of mothers-to-be.” She died in 1964; Friday marked 131 years since her birth. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5587196/lucy-wills-google-doodle/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5587196/lucy-wills-google-doodle/"},"headline":"Google Celebrates Lucy Wills, Who Found a Simple Solution to Improve the Health of Pregnant Women Everywhere","datePublished":"2019-05-10T11:58:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T23:29:56.926Z","description":"English hematologist Lucy Wills found Marmite, which contains folic acid, could treat prenatal anaemia.","url":"https://time.com/5587196/lucy-wills-google-doodle/","keywords":["Google","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc64c6e33a8b7d8ec/698949c0457a526515d61082/lucy-wills-131st-birthday-5156345727680512-2x.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Billy Perrigo","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/billy-perrigo/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc64c6e33a8b7d8ec/698949c0457a526515d61082/lucy-wills-131st-birthday-5156345727680512-2x.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"lucy-wills-131st-birthday-5156345727680512-2x","caption":"The Google Doodle on May 10, 2019 celebrated English scientist Lucy Wills","creditText":"Google","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/google/","name":"Google"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5587196/lucy-wills-google-doodle/","name":"Google Celebrates Lucy Wills, Who Found a Simple Solution to Improve the Health of Pregnant Women Everywhere"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How Google Makes its Doodles","description":"Our videographer went to the Googleplex in Mountain View, California to meet some of the designers and coders who create the special, clever variations on the Google.com logo known as","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/upF0qp1E/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-07-07T16:09:57.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/upF0qp1E.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5587196/lucy-wills-google-doodle/","duration":"PT3M23S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5587196/lucy-wills-google-doodle/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```