Journal of Heredity Advance Access originally published online on June 22, 2005
Journal of Heredity 2005 96(5):626; doi:10.1093/jhered/esi073
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Book Review |
How to Win the Nobel Prize: An Unexpected Life in Science
J. Michael BishopHarvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. 2003. 271 pp. $27.95.
Bishop writes a brief (250 pages) and most readable account of microbiological and cancer science, and he ends the book with a chapter that presents a careful analysis of how science participates in society and how it is viewed by the public. He cites numerous examples of how ill understood the work of scientists has become, how confrontational the environment can be in which the scientists now exist, and what might be done to change the average person's view of scientific advances.
Of course, this is no literal prescription for scientists just how to go about to obtain the Nobel Prize, but it is an extremely interesting account of the general circumstances of the Nobel award, the attending politics, its history, and is then followed by Bishop's own scientific road to become thus distinguished (with Harold Varmus) in 1989 for discovering the genetic aspects leading to cancer. Much of the book, however, is devoted to his major medical experience, the discoveries in the field of microbiology. The author brings numerous little-known (or at least usually overlooked) vignettes of such individuals as Pasteur, Koch, Domagk, and many others that make this chapter especially enjoyable. He then directs his attention to the discovery of tumor viruses (telling the story of Rous and Bittner) and finally describes the circuitous path that led to the discovery of oncogenes.
By far the most important aspect of the book, however, I believe is the final group of topics that he titles "The Paradoxial Strife." Bishop examines what causes the distance of relations between scientists and the general public, newspaper writers, U.S. Congress, public policy, the law and other societal institutions. He writes on scientific progress, public expectations of progress, and the progress made by biomedical science. Naturally, modern genetic medicine, cloning, and all current controversies are explored in considerable depth in this chapter.
Bishop is an excellent writer, and he presents his views with great wit. Apparently he is extremely well read, as he cites numerous fitting quotes from many diverse sources. This is a short book, not necessarily meant for the readers of this journal but one that can be highly recommended for use when educating the public of our cause.
University of California, San Diego 200 W. Arbor Drive San Diego, CA 92103 kbenirsc{at}ucsd.edu
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