Muriel Bristol

Who is Muriel Bristol?

B. Muriel Bristol-Roach, Ph.D., was a scientist working in the field of alga biology who worked at the Rothamsted Experimental Station in 1919. In addition to her scientific work, she is notable for being the woman whose claim to be able to tell whether the milk or the tea was poured into a cup first prompted Ronald Fisher to devise Fisher's exact test to assess the statistical significance of such claims – see lady tasting tea. The test was actually performed, and Dr. Bristol-Roach successfully identified "more than enough ... to prove her case".