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Maurice H F Wilkins
Obituary
AP
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Maurice H F Wilkins A biophysicist whose X-ray diffraction studies were used by Francis Crick and James Watson to derive the double helix model of DNA. The three shared the 1962 Nobel prize for medicine. He was born in Pongaroa, New Zealand, on Dec 15, 1916, and died on Oct 5, 2004, in London, UK, aged 87 years. Although Maurice Wilkins was awarded a Nobel prize for his contribution to solving the mysteries of DNA, his scientific career began as a physicist in the 1930s. He was recruited in World War II to the Manhattan atomic bomb project. But he was among the nuclear scientists who opposed the use of nuclear weapons and was profoundly disillusioned when the bomb was dropped on Japan. Wilkins turned away from nuclear physics after the war. He took respite from science altogether for a while and immersed himself in his leisure pursuit of painting. His scientific curiosity was rekindled and redirected to biological research after reading What Is Life? by Erwin Schrödinger. Wilkins turned his formidable intellect to the fledgling subject of biophysics, first at St Andrews, Scotland. In 1946, he moved to King’s College, London, UK, to join a visionary new venture with the creation of the Medical Research Council’s Biophysics Unit. Wilkins had earlier worked at Birmingham University as a research assistant to the brilliant physicist John Randall. After research into the luminescence of solids for his PhD, he applied his ideas to developments such as the improvement of cathode ray tube screens for radar. He then did research with a group working on the separation of uranium isotopes. In 1940 he moved to the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, to continue this work as part of the Manhattan Project. In 1945, Wilkins rejoined his old mentor, Randall, who believed that physics could contribute significantly to biology and had organised a biophysics group at St Andrews to study the mechanics of the single cell. A year later, Randall transferred his project to King’s College to create the new Medical Research Council (MRC) Biophysics 1482
Research Unit, and the move included Wilkins. Ray Gosling, who worked with Wilkins from 1948, said “the solution to the DNA question by researchers in the UK was attributable, in a very real measure, to John Randall. If he hadn’t set up the MRC biophysics unit, there would have been no work on DNA.” The timing was critical because a race was developing to solve the mysteries of DNA. Its importance was signalled in 1944 when Oswald Avery, a bacteriologist at Rockefeller University, showed the genetic involvement of DNA in the transformation of a non-virulent strain of pneumococci into a virulent form. Wilkins worked first on the genetic effects of ultrasonics and then on the development of new types of microscopes and cameras to study cell components. He recalled preparing almost invisible filaments of DNA and thinking the fibres might be excellent objects for X-ray diffraction analysis. In landmark studies in 1950, Wilkins obtained the first X-ray diffraction patterns of DNA. The following year, Wilkins described the crystallisation of DNA and showed the diffraction images to a conference in Naples, Italy. The revelation galvanised a young James Watson sitting in the audience. When Crick and Watson built the model of the double helix, they offered coauthorship to Wilkins. Controversially, the offer ignored the role of Rosalind Franklin, a gifted crystallographer recruited to help Wilkins at King’s in 1951. In May, 1952, she obtained the most vivid X-ray diffraction image of DNA in its B form, known famously as photograph 51, which provided Crick and Watson with the definitive data to derive their double helix model. Wilkins’ contributions to science extended far beyond the work that won him a Nobel prize. He went on to study the structure of various forms of RNA, and a wide range of genetic problems, such as those of ageing, of genetic diseases, and of obesity. His move into the biosciences reflected a concern about moral and ethical constraints in the exploitation of science, and poor communication between scientists and technologists and the public. He was president of the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science from 1969 to 1991, and of Food and Disarmament International from 1984 until his death. In a statement released shortly after Wilkins’ death, James Watson said, “He was a very intelligent scientist with a very deep personal concern that science be used to benefit society. This started in his early days, when he witnessed the atrocities of war, and continued through his life. He will be sorely missed.” Wilkins married Patricia Ann Chidgey in 1959. She survives him, as do their two sons and two daughters.
Pearce Wright [email protected]
www.thelancet.com Vol 364 October 23, 2004
AP
Rights were not granted to include this image in electronic media. Please refer to the printed journal.
Maurice H F Wilkins A biophysicist whose X-ray diffraction studies were used by Francis Crick and James Watson to derive the double helix model of DNA. The three shared the 1962 Nobel prize for medicine. He was born in Pongaroa, New Zealand, on Dec 15, 1916, and died on Oct 5, 2004, in London, UK, aged 87 years. Although Maurice Wilkins was awarded a Nobel prize for his contribution to solving the mysteries of DNA, his scientific career began as a physicist in the 1930s. He was recruited in World War II to the Manhattan atomic bomb project. But he was among the nuclear scientists who opposed the use of nuclear weapons and was profoundly disillusioned when the bomb was dropped on Japan. Wilkins turned away from nuclear physics after the war. He took respite from science altogether for a while and immersed himself in his leisure pursuit of painting. His scientific curiosity was rekindled and redirected to biological research after reading What Is Life? by Erwin Schrödinger. Wilkins turned his formidable intellect to the fledgling subject of biophysics, first at St Andrews, Scotland. In 1946, he moved to King’s College, London, UK, to join a visionary new venture with the creation of the Medical Research Council’s Biophysics Unit. Wilkins had earlier worked at Birmingham University as a research assistant to the brilliant physicist John Randall. After research into the luminescence of solids for his PhD, he applied his ideas to developments such as the improvement of cathode ray tube screens for radar. He then did research with a group working on the separation of uranium isotopes. In 1940 he moved to the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, to continue this work as part of the Manhattan Project. In 1945, Wilkins rejoined his old mentor, Randall, who believed that physics could contribute significantly to biology and had organised a biophysics group at St Andrews to study the mechanics of the single cell. A year later, Randall transferred his project to King’s College to create the new Medical Research Council (MRC) Biophysics 1482
Research Unit, and the move included Wilkins. Ray Gosling, who worked with Wilkins from 1948, said “the solution to the DNA question by researchers in the UK was attributable, in a very real measure, to John Randall. If he hadn’t set up the MRC biophysics unit, there would have been no work on DNA.” The timing was critical because a race was developing to solve the mysteries of DNA. Its importance was signalled in 1944 when Oswald Avery, a bacteriologist at Rockefeller University, showed the genetic involvement of DNA in the transformation of a non-virulent strain of pneumococci into a virulent form. Wilkins worked first on the genetic effects of ultrasonics and then on the development of new types of microscopes and cameras to study cell components. He recalled preparing almost invisible filaments of DNA and thinking the fibres might be excellent objects for X-ray diffraction analysis. In landmark studies in 1950, Wilkins obtained the first X-ray diffraction patterns of DNA. The following year, Wilkins described the crystallisation of DNA and showed the diffraction images to a conference in Naples, Italy. The revelation galvanised a young James Watson sitting in the audience. When Crick and Watson built the model of the double helix, they offered coauthorship to Wilkins. Controversially, the offer ignored the role of Rosalind Franklin, a gifted crystallographer recruited to help Wilkins at King’s in 1951. In May, 1952, she obtained the most vivid X-ray diffraction image of DNA in its B form, known famously as photograph 51, which provided Crick and Watson with the definitive data to derive their double helix model. Wilkins’ contributions to science extended far beyond the work that won him a Nobel prize. He went on to study the structure of various forms of RNA, and a wide range of genetic problems, such as those of ageing, of genetic diseases, and of obesity. His move into the biosciences reflected a concern about moral and ethical constraints in the exploitation of science, and poor communication between scientists and technologists and the public. He was president of the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science from 1969 to 1991, and of Food and Disarmament International from 1984 until his death. In a statement released shortly after Wilkins’ death, James Watson said, “He was a very intelligent scientist with a very deep personal concern that science be used to benefit society. This started in his early days, when he witnessed the atrocities of war, and continued through his life. He will be sorely missed.” Wilkins married Patricia Ann Chidgey in 1959. She survives him, as do their two sons and two daughters.
Pearce Wright [email protected]
www.thelancet.com Vol 364 October 23, 2004