Crucible of Science

"Crucible of Science" is the story of a unique laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis, and of Carl and Gerty Cori, the biochemists who established it. Carl and Gerty met and married at medical school in Prague in the 1920s. After graduation, they immigrated to the U.S. to escape deteriorating conditions in Europe. Carl soon received an offer from Washington University to become Pharmacology Chair, and the couple settled in St. Louis. Not only did both Coris go on to win the Nobel Prize, the laboratory they established at the University has since produced some of the most outstanding scientists the U.S. has ever seen. Six laboratory scientists also won Nobel Prizes; few, if any, laboratories can claim such an impressive record. The Coris themselves were instrumental in establishing the then new science of Biochemistry in the U.S. They applied chemical approaches to elucidating the transformations of compounds such as glucose in animal tissues and defined the enzyme catalysts that carried out those transformations. Both scientists were extremely rigorous in designing their experiments and interpreting the results, a habit that ensured their findings were above question. This book examines the careers of both Coris and the other eminent scientists who trained in their laboratory. It notes the Coris' acceptance of women, Jews, and scientists from all over the world, unique during this time period. It analyzes those reasons why the laboratory was so successful in attracting the best trainees and producing premier scientists. Intended for scientists, science historians, and anyone interested in the history of science, "Crucible of Science" is a unique presentation of remarkable careers and personalities, examined within the context of the Coris' laboratory.INTRODUCTION ; CHAPTER 1 - CARL AND GERTY CORI ; CHAPTER 2 - SIDNEY COLOWICK - THEIR FIRST GRADUATE STUDENT ; CHAPTER 3 - HERMAN KALCKAR - THE GREAT DANE ; CHAPTER 4 - SEVERO OCHOA - SPANISH GENIUS ; CHAPTER 5 - MOVE TO ENZYMOLOGY AND WORK OF ARDA GREEN ; CHAPTER 6 - LUIS LELOIR - ONE OF ARGENTINA'S GREATEST SCIENTISTS ; CHAPTER 7 - EARL SUTHERLAND - MASTER OF INTUITION ; CHAPTER 8 - CORI'S MOVE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY - AWARD OF NOBEL PRIZES AND CAREER OF TOM CORI ; CHAPTER 9 - SIDNEY VELICK - MODEST ENZYMOLOGIST ; CHAPTER 10 - VICTOR NAJJAR - PEDIATRICIAN AND IMMUNOCHEMIST ; CHAPTER 11 - EDWIN KREBS - ACCIDENTAL BIOCHEMIST ; CHAPTER 12 - MILDRED COHN - AGAINST ALL ODDS ; CHAPTER 13 - CHRISTIAN DE DUVE - BELGIAN WITH SAVOIR FAIRE ; CHAPTER 14 - ARTHUR KORNBERG - A GIANT OF BIOCHEMISTRY ; CHAPTER 15 - HORMONE EFFECTS ON MUSCLE CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM ; CHAPTER 16 - CHARLES PARK - ARISTOCRATIC PHYSIOLOGIST ; CHAPTER 17 - JANE HARTING PARK - ENTHUSIAST FOR SCIENCE ; CHAPTER 18 - GERTY CORI'S WORK ON GLYCOGEN STRUCTURE AND GLYCOGEN STORAGE DISEASES ; CHAPTER 19 - JOSEPH LARNER - FOCUS ON GLYCOGEN SYNTHASE ; CHAPTER 20 - CONTRIBUTIONS OF BARBARA AND DAVID BROWN ; CHAPTER 21 - WILLIAM DAUGHADAY - ALL ABOUT GROWTH ; CHAPTER 22 - ROBERT CRANE - A DECADE WITH CARL CORI ; CHAPTER 23 - ALBERTO SOLS - SPANISH ENZYMOLOGIST ; CHAPTER 24 - LUIS GLASER - THE COMPLEXITY OF CARBOHYDRATES ; CHAPTER 25 - ERNST HELMREICH - JOVIAL BAVARIAN ; CHAPTER 26 - CARL FRIEDEN - ENZYME KINETICIST ; CHAPTER 27 - DAVID KIPNIS - DIABETOLOGIST ; CHAPTER 28 - WILLIAM DANFORTH - ACADEMIC LEADER ; CHAPTER 29 - THE INFLUENCE OF THE CORIS ON WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY AND CARL CORI'S RESEARCH AT BOSTON ; CHAPTER 30 - THE HERITAGE OF THE CORIS