Widdows was born on 27 May 1876, and attended Dulwich High School for Girls in
West Dulwich, South
London,
England. She continued her education and obtained a degree in chemistry from the
Royal Holloway College in 1900. During this she progressed to the rank of Lecturer, and stayed at the school until her retirement in 1942. In an obituary written by her Phyllis Sanderson, her successor, Widdows was described as "an ardent feminist and willingly sacrificed her own career as a chemist for the cause most dear to her heart, the training of women doctors at Hunter Street, the only training ground in Medicine open to women in England at that time" (p. 161) She authored and co-authored at least 12 research papers, with her research focusing around the composition and secretion of
human milk (see publications). This Includes two publications with other signatories on the Letter of 19,
Margaret Seward and
Ida Smedley Maclean. == Publications ==