Needham's first wife, Dorothy Moyle, was also a great support to him. She was originally also an embryologist but let her husband put all his energy into the history of Chinese science. With no children he put all the inheritance from his parents into his writing and research.
他的第一任妻子李大棐完全任由丈夫投注全副心力在中國科技史上，夫妻倆未育子女，李約瑟又將父母遺下的產業也全數投入寫作和研究。