Speaking out about the social implications of science: the uneven legacy of H. J. Muller

H. J. Muller (1890-1967) was unusual as a scientist because he spoke out on numerous occasions about the uses and abuses of genetics in society. In this article, I follow Muller's efforts to do so and the consequences that they had on his career, his productivity as a research scientist, and his reputation. The shifting sites of Muller's work--which ranged from Columbia University to Texas, from Berlin to Moscow and Leningrad, from Madrid to Edinburgh, and from Amherst to Indiana University--made his activism unusual. Muller paid a price for his activism, and his reputation today is still marred by what most historians would consider risky judgments and reversals of position about genetics and society. My analysis is not a defense but rather an evaluation of the circumstances that led him to these positions and an analysis of the consequences of challenging society when scientists believe their science is being ignored or abused.     

From the history of Croatian dentistry: 100th anniversary of the birth of Professor Sime Kordić (1909-1984)

The aim of this study was to pay tribute to the memory of extraordinary Croatian Professor of children's and preventive dentistry Sime Kordi? on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth. The biography and work of this scientist and teacher were presented, as well as his researches about the history of dentistry and medicine in our coastal cities. On the bases of his published papers, we analyzed a significant role of Professor Sime Kordi? for the development of dental medicine and promotion of health culture in Croatia.     

Sir William Osler revisited.

The basis of Sir William Osler''s fame is elusive to almost all and the appropriateness of such recognition is questioned by many. His many contributions as a practitioner, teacher, writer, and scientist in medicine do not adequately explain his prominence 60 years following his death. It was his participation in the covenant of medicine and the special components of that relationship that may account for his hold on his followers today.     

THE REMARKABLE P. F. B. VON SIEBOLD,HIS LIFE IN EUROPE AND JAPAN

We present a synopsis of the major trends of Siebold's life, his youth in the Rhineland and his lengthy employment as a physician and natural scientist in the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies. We follow his career on the cramped Japanese island of Dejima where he was based for 6 years. We reveal how, during two visits to Japan, Siebold became a renowned ethnographer, natural historian, author and entrepreneur and an unsuccessful diplomat. In this paper we attempt to provide an insight into Siebold's varied life in Bavaria, The Netherlands and Japan.     

Methodology in Aristotle’s Theory of Spontaneous Generation

Aristotle’s theory of spontaneous generation offers many puzzles to those who wish to understand his theory both within the context of his biology and within the context of his more general philosophy of nature. In this paper, I approach the difficult and vague elements of Aristotle’s account of spontaneous generation not as weaknesses, but as opportunities for an interesting glimpse into the thought of an early scientist struggling to reconcile evidence and theory. The paper has two goals: (1) to give as charitable and full an account as possible of what Aristotle’s theory of spontaneous generation was, and to examine some of its consequences; and (2) to reflect on Aristotle as a scientist, and what his comments reveal about how he approached a difficult problem. In particular, I propose that the well-recognized problem of the incompatibility between Aristotle’s concept of spontaneity and his theory of spontaneous generation presents an opportunity for insight into his scientific methodology when approaching ill-understood phenomena.     

History of ichnology

William Buckland not only was an eccentric scientist either liked or disliked by his peers but, in the early 1800s, was also the foremost authority on coprolites. The latter were a source of considerable amusement to some of his friends.     

Hans Zinsser: a tale of two cultures

Hans Zinsser, president of the Society of American Bacteriologists in 1926, was known as much for his literary and textbook writing as for his scientific contributions. He was a widely known scientist and person of letters. His early interests in poetry and other forms of literature were maintained and developed during his career as a microbiologist, and his most enduring legacy is based on his writing about microbiology for a general readership as well as his reflective and philosophical autobiography.     

Who was... Almroth Wright?

Sir Almroth Edward Wright CB MD FRS (1861-1947) was Britains first academic immunologist. He was qualified in both Arts and Medicine and commenced his professional life as a Physiologist, became Professor of Pathology and led the study of immunity to infectious diseases. He was often a controversial scientist and not always right in his views, hence his nickname 'Sir Almost Right'!     

Through A Daughter's Eyes

After a scientist dies, his second life begins—he begins to live in what he has done, and in his pupils.     

Robert Koch: the grandfather of cloning?

This year marks the centenary of Robert Koch's Nobel Prize for discovering the cause of tuberculosis. Koch was also the first scientist to isolate the anthrax and cholera microbes. Yet perhaps one of his greatest contributions to biology is the least appreciated: his method for propagating individual colonies of bacteria on plates, a technique that came to be called cloning.     

In memorium: Herman p. Schwan [1915-2005

Herman P. Schwan [1915-2005] was a distinguished scientist and engineer, and a founding father of the field of biomedical engineering. A man of integrity, Schwan influenced the lives of many, including his wife and children, and his many students and colleagues. Active in science until nearly the end of his life, he will be very much missed by his family and many colleagues.     

Mikhail Khristoforovich Chailakhyan: The fate of the scientist under the sign of florigen

The more significant is a discovery made by the scientist, the greater influence it exerts on the fate of its author. The theory of florigen, a hormone of flowering, put forward by M.Kh. Chailakhyan in 1936 initially was inconvenient for Soviet authorities and brought severe trials to the scientist. However, as distinct from many others, Chailakhyan did not deny his scientific beliefs but continued to defend them in spite of harassment and threats. Later, on the contrary, this theory promoted the worldwide fame of its creator, although during Chailakhyan lifetime florigen has not been definitely identified chemically. Chailakhyan was close to the establishing of florigen protein nature, but even his long life was not enough to identify this elusive substance.     

In Memorium: Herman P. Schwan [1915–2005]

Herman P. Schwan [1915–2005] was a distinguished scientist and engineer, and a founding father of the field of biomedical engineering. A man of integrity, Schwan influenced the lives of many, including his wife and children, and his many students and colleagues. Active in science until nearly the end of his life, he will be very much missed by his family and many colleagues.     

Prasanna K. Mohanty (1934–2013): a great photosynthetiker and a wonderful human being who touched the hearts of many

Prasanna K. Mohanty, a great scientist, a great teacher and above all a great human being, left us more than a year ago (on March 9, 2013). He was a pioneer in the field of photosynthesis research; his contributions are many and wide-ranging. In the words of Jack Myers, he would be a “photosynthetiker” par excellence. He remained deeply engaged with research almost to the end of his life; we believe that generations of researchers still to come will benefit from his thorough and enormous work. We present here his life and some of his contributions to the field of Photosynthesis Research. The response to this tribute was overwhelming and we have included most of the tributes, which we received from all over the world. Prasanna Mohanty was a pioneer in the field of “Light Regulation of Photosynthesis”, a loving and dedicated teacher—unpretentious, idealistic, and an honest human being.     

The interface of natural theology and science in the ethology of W. H. Thorpe

Conclusion It should be clear by now the extent to which many features of Thorpe's interpretation of animal behavior and of the animal mind rested, at bottom, not simply on conventional scientific proofs but on interpretive inferences, which in turn rested on a willingress to make extensions of human experience to animals. This, in turn, rested on his view of evolution and his view of reality. And these were governed by his natural theology, which was the fundamental stratum of his intellectual experience.Contrary to the scientific ethos, which restricts theory choice to scientific issues alone, Thorpe's career suggests that the actual reasons for theory choice among scientists often are not limited to science, but are multiple and may sometimes be difficult to discover. It is largely because Thorpe took a public part in the natural theology enterprise that we can know something about his religious beliefs and so can see their probable influence on his scientific decisions. Similar beliefs of other scientists are sometimes harder to get at. Most may be practically beyond discovery, for the ethos of science has discouraged public professions of personal belief in relation to scientific work.¹⁰¹ Yet does it seem plausible that, for example, the restriction of self-consciousness to humans by some scientists is a purely scientific decision?¹⁰² Surely not, any more than that the strong influence of natural theology on Thorpe's thought means that he was not a good scientist. His natural theology may have led him into incautious enthusiasms regarding the animal mind — such as the potential if unrealizable linguistic ability of chimpanzees — through a bias in favor of the continuity of emergents in a progressive evolutionary system, just as it led him to advocate animal consciousness long before the recent upsurge of interest, but the scientific integrity of his work overall is unimpeachable. And yet, that work is not comprehensible historically as science alone. Personal philosophy must not be discounted in writing the history of recent science. This somewhat obvious conclusion (obvious to historians of science) needs emphasis, for we are still prone to think that the sciences of our own time provide their own internal dynamic that is in itself sufficient to account for their content and development.     

Who was.... William Veale Thorpe?

William Veale Thorpe (1902-1988) was a gentleman and a scientist. His ceaseless energy, infectious enthusiasm and meticulous research established his group as pioneers, and himself as one of the architects of a new branch of science. The vast pharmaceutical industries of today owe much to the far-sighted research of Thorpe and his fellow investigators--a debt all too easily forgotten.     

一生勤勉只求真 半世坎坷终为民——纪念倪达书先生诞辰110周年

倪达书是我国从事原生动物、海洋甲藻、鱼病学、水产养殖包括稻鱼互作养殖模式研究的先驱。在纪念倪达书先生诞辰110周年的日子里, 重读倪达书当年涉及原生动物、鱼类细菌病、稻田草鱼种养殖等4篇代表性研究论文, 回顾倪达书对相应研究领域的学术贡献, 体会倪达书历经社会动荡, 依然勤勉执着的科学追求精神, 并发展为民服务的理念, 以示缅怀。     

Legal Liability to Volunteers in Testing New Drugs

Scientists test new drugs by giving them to volunteers. In spite of every precaution, the drug may harm the volunteer. Under Canadian law, can he recover damages against any of the persons connected with the test? He cannot succeed against the scientist if the latter had made complete disclosure of the risks and had then obtained the volunteer''s free consent. Where the subject of a test is a child or one of unsound mind, the guardian''s consent probably does not protect the scientist from a possible claim by the subject. Where a married woman is a volunteer, her husband''s consent is unnecessary. The volunteer cannot succeed against his family physician who referred him to the scientist unless the physician took an active part in an experiment that was conducted negligently or without a proper consent. The volunteer cannot succeed against the maker unless he has negligently prepared the drug or given misleading information.