Witches, Floods and Wonderdrugs

Interesting points:

Theme of tension and conflict of interest between the "institution" who are our supposed "experts" and individuals that are targeted by the risk management process as well as those other individuals that are stakeholders in the process. The job or role of risk manager/ risk analyser has become a difficult role. These does generally well paid, with constant conflict of interest between institutions and environmental/ political goals. Somewhat a glamour role " witch hunting", this role is created to deal with sometime perceived risks. How much does our fear and ignorance lead to inefficient allocation of resources towards this field? How much can we actually achieve in preventing the results of a "bad risk" when uncertainty exists?

Maurice Wilkins and DNA

The "Hunt for Hereditary Bearing Substance" in human blood became an obsession of early pioneers, even as stem cell research is a controversial and boundary pushing science today.

The plight of Maurice Wilkins highlights the importance of priority in scientific publishing. Had Wilkins been more sneaky and others less attentive, Wilkins may well have published first and he may have been, justifiably, heralded at the father of DNA in the mainstream consciousness.

The Early Days

• 1871- Fredreich Miescher discovered DNA as a chemical entity. Discovered 'Nuclein'. He commented nuclein might function as a genetic substance
• 1889- Richard Altman able to free nuclein of its protein component and had 'nucleic acid'. Belief that protein was hereditary bearing, not nucleic acid.
  
• 1919- Phoebus Leven seperated the nuclein molecule into all chemical components, still thinking that protein held the heredity
• 1912- Max van Laue observed exposure of simple crystal to X-rays resulted in specific shapes on photographic plate. Crystallography/ X-ray diffraction born

The next Gen

• Fred Griffith- Discovered dealdy pneumococcal bacteria could impart identical deadliness to its progeny
• Oswald Avery- December 1943 "DNA confirmed as the chemical substance responsible for transforming principle". However, their paper was not widely accepted.

Wilson, Cricks Frankin and Wilkins

Maurice Wilkins- NZ Born

• Hunch that study of DNA's structure was the key to understanding the genetic carrier
• In 1947 joined Kings College London as assistant director of Biophysics Unit
• 1950 received calf thymus DNA from a Swiss physicist, and from this first photo of DNA by X-ray Crystallography, with Raymond Gosling
• 1951 Wilkins sketched a helix form of DNA, but yet unproven
  

Rosalind Franklin

• Recruited to Kings to assist in mid-1950
• Franklin disliked Wilkins and in the end kept her critical research findings to herself
  
• Late spring 1952 Franklin used microfocus tube and microcamera in X-raying a DNA fibre and got first clear diffraction photograph of DNA
  
• Sacked by Randall 1952 and handed over 'Photograph 51', confirming at last the double helix structure of DNA

Francis Crick and James Watson

• Watson in 1950 a 23 year old post doc became obsessed with the hunt for heredity on seeing Wilkins X-ray diffractions of calf thymus DNA
• Watson motivated by being the first to explain a great mystery in life, and win a Nobel Prize for it
  
• With no background in that area, Watson recruited Cricks old friend of Wilkins and rallied him to be his colleague at Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory
  
• Watson and Crick used evidence from Wilkins, Franklin and other scientists to help them building models of the DNA structure, they did no experimentation of their own
  
• Watson and Crick built models throughout 51, had a brief time off it, and resumed for most of 52

The final moments- 1953

• Wilkins shows Photograph 51 to Watson
• February 27 1953 Watsons chemist corrected Watson on one aspect of the model, and the next morning employing cardboard replicas of the four bases Watson and Crick stumbled on the correct way of connecting the two chains
• By early March the game was up, and Wilkins sent a letter to Watson and Crick " From one rat to another, good racing"

Priority

• Nature magazine published DNA report of Watson and Crick, DNA report of Wilkins, Stokes and Wilson, and Franklin and Gosling.
  
• Of the 3 reports, Watsons and Cricks was first, to be referred to by the others as the 'Preceding communication'. It was also short with an illustration and easy to understand.
  
• Watson and Crick received nearly all the credit for the discovery of the helical structure of DNA