What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View
of Scientific Discovery by Francis
Crick
An Account Of The Discovery Of Dna's Structure And More!!!!
The widely-praised memoir of the co-discoverer of the double helix of
DNA. Crick describes the experiences that brought him to the field of
molecular biology, the failures and frustrations preceding his triumph, and
the peculiar distortions that crept into popular accounts of the event.
Illustrated.
Personal Review: What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of
Scientific Discovery by Francis Crick
+++++
THIS book, by Dr. Francis Crick (June 1916 to July 2004), is partly an
autobiography and partly a science book. As for the science part, Crick
elaborates:

"I have written [this book] both for my fellow scientists and for the general
public [and] believe a [non-scientist] can easily understand most of what I
discuss...My advice to the reader, should he or she become stuck in...a
[difficult, scientific] passage, is either to persevere or to skip to the next
chapter. Most of the book is fairly easy. Don't give up hope just because a
few paragraphs seem a little hard to follow."
What, then, is the purpose of this book? Crick tells the reader:
"The main purpose of this book is to set out some of my experiences
before and during the classical period of molecular biology, which
stretched from the discovery of the DNA double helix in 1953 till about
1966 when the genetic code...was finally elucidated."
(Molecular biology is a branch of biology that studies the chemical and
physical principles associated with the composition, properties, and
activities of molecules in living cells. The genetic code is the dictionary
relating the nucleic acid {such as DNA and RNA} language to the protein
language.)
Crick achieves his purpose admirably! He gives us an overview of his
main, personal experiences and reveals his thoughts at each period in his
life. I especially enjoyed his chapter entitled "The Gossip Test" and his
memories about the "RNA Tie Club."
I found the science part especially well done. He explains the science that
led up to the discovery of DNA's structure but goes beyond this, explaining
such things as the different types of RNA, protein structure, the genetic
code, and theory in molecular biology. Everything is well explained and
there are many helpful diagrams.
Be aware that Crick decided not to give character sketches of his friends
and colleagues especially James Watson (born: 1928), Maurice Wilkins
(1916 to 2004), Rosalind Franklin (1920 to 1958) and Linus Pauling (1901
to 1994). In other words, he chose not to include "juicy" gossip in his
book. I found this refreshing since I found that in reading other books
similar to this one that such character sketches can be distracting to the
main essence of the book.
This book does not conclude in the year 1966 since Crick includes a final,
long epilogue chapter entitled "My Later Years." This chapter is especially
interesting as we are told how he moved on to the field of embryology or
developmental biology to become involved generally in human brain
science and more specifically in human consciousness. I found his theory
of "panspermia" (that "is the idea that microorganisms drifted to the Earth
through space and seeded all life on Earth") most interesting.

This book has two excellent appendices that resemble a small course in
basic genetics. I found these to be well written.
Included near the middle of the book are over twenty black and white
photographs. My favorite is Crick with Wilkins and Watson (as well as
famous others like John Steinbeck) at the 1962 Nobel Prize Ceremony.
Finally, my only problem occurs on the inside back flap of the book's dust
cover. It says the Crick "shared a Nobel Prize with...Watson and...Wilkins
in 1962 for the discovery of the double helix of DNA." Not true! According
to the official Nobel Prize internet site, they shared the prize "for their
discoveries concerning the molecular structures of nucleic acid and its
significance for information transfer in living material."
In conclusion, if you want to know about the life and brilliant intellect of a
"genius of modern science," then you have to read this book!!
(first published 1988; acknowledgements; introduction; 14 chapters;
photo inserts; main narrative 165 pages; 2 appendices; index)
+++++
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