Description
Book SynopsisThe history of molecular biology in Germany is closely linked to the Institute of Genetics in Cologne, the first molecular biological Institute at a German university. Founded in 1959 by the émigré physicist and future Nobel laureate Max Delbrück, the Institute was the first in Germany to implement less hierarchical American organizational structures and research habits. The Institute had already gained an excellent international scientific reputation by the beginning of the 1960s.This volume comprises the recollections of scientists pertaining to the Institute's research, organization and other specificities. Articles by historians of science analyze the historical background and international framework of the Institute's foundations and genetic research. In addition, the scientists discuss contemporary questions of science policy with regard to teaching and the impact of the internal structures of scientific institutions on the quality of research.
Table of ContentsIntroduction: A Brief Review of the History of Genetics and Its Relationship to Physics and Chemistry (U Deichmann); First Initiatives, Concept, Founding and Crisis: Founding and Crisis (S Wenkel); Institutionalisation of Molecular Biology in Europe (B Strasser); The Beginnings: Recollections (H-G Zachau); How Chemistry Met Genetics (H Feldmann); Views from Outside: In the Smog: Genetics and Biochemistry in Cologne (L Jaenicke); TMV in Tubingen and Its Brief Escapade with Genetics (K-W Mundry); Research and Scientific Collaboration: Medical Virology in Cologne (W Doerfler); Immunology and Genetics (K Rajewsky); Molecular Biology and the German University Structure -- A Discussion; Establishment and Teaching of Molecular Biology in Germany -- A Discussion; Final Remarks: Science and Society (P Starlinger).
