Synopses & Reviews
For twelve months beginning in January 2000, celebrated essayist and research physician Gerald Weissmann carefully documented the modern age of enlightenment, charting its scientific marvels and new plagues. Now, this illuminating diary takes us on a literary exploration of laboratories and beyond to see the impact on human life and culture of headliners such as RU 486, AIDS drugs, and other current developments, including the controversial use of stem cells.
Whether calling on Ralph Waldo Emerson to explain Craig Venter's drive to unravel the genome or tracing the effect of Rachel Carson's legacy on the spread of malaria around the world, Weissmann's lively chronicle captures the greatest genetic revolution of all time.
Review
"A rare accomplishment, matched only by the best of Lewis Thomas."
--David Baltimore, president, California Institute of Technology
"Weissmann's juggling with the balls of global politics, biology, medicine and culture in the framework of history is breathtaking."
--Bengt Samuelsson, chairman, Nobel Foundation
". . . combines science, medicine, history, philosophy, and poetry in describing the successful sequencing and assembly of the human genome."
--J. Craig Venter, Ph.D.
Review
“Connecting dots in the time-honored manner of the essayist, Weissmann is at his best when tracking the context of medicine within its historical context . . . An information-packed source that provides cultural context.” —
Booklist“Weissmanns juggling with the balls of global politics, biology, medicine, and culture in the framework of history is breathtaking.” —Bengt Samuelsson, chairman, Nobel Foundation
About the Author
A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and two Rockefeller residencies at Belaggio,
Gerald Weissmann, M.D., is a professor of medicine and director of the Biotechnology Study Center at New York University School of Medicine. His books include
Darwin's Audubon and his essays and reviews have appeared in numerous publications, including
The New York Times Book Review. He lives in New York City and Woods Hole, Massachusetts.