Science-our friend, not foe

“Whoever desires progress and prosperity, whoever would advance humanity to a higher plane of civilization, must further the work of the scientist in every way he possibly can.“

You might think this is a recent statement, but it is not. It was written over a hundred years ago. Here is an expanded version taken from the original source.

Take from the air every aeroplane; from the roads every automobile; from the country every train; from the cities every electric light; from ships every wireless apparatus; from oceans all cables; from the land all wires; from shops all motors; from office buildings every elevator, telephone and typewriter; let epidemics spread at will; let major surgery be impossible—

all this and vastly more, the bondage of ignorance, where knowledge now makes us free, would be the terrible catastrophe if the tide of time should but ebb to the childhood days of men still living!…

Therefore, whoever desires progress and prosperity, whoever would advance humanity to a higher plane of civilization, must further the work of the scientist in every way he possibly can.

The Work of the Scientist. JAMA. 2022;327(9):882. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.0191

Originally Published March 4, 1922 | JAMA. 1922;78(9):649. (JAMA Revisited is transcribed verbatim from articles published previously, unless otherwise noted.)

Written in 1922, this author could not mention space flight, GPS, computers, CT and MRI scanners, modern drugs and surgical techniques, organ transplantation, DNA, and a myriad other modern conveniences we take for granted.

I don’t ride trains, I’m not sure what a “wireless apparatus” is, and I haven’t used a typewriter in years. I don’t understand the current aversion, suspicion, and contempt for those who study and work in the STEM fields-science, technology, engineering, and math.

But every time we use our mobile phones, computers, access the internet, or stream videos or music, we can thank the scientists who made it possible.

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Science books and reviews

I have reviewed or recommended several science books on this blog and this post gathers them together in one place. Bookmark this list post for easy reference later.

Despite the name, this book is not about COVID-19.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 

I haven’t reviewed this book but I read it and wondered why I didn’t know this story before, a true account of a simple but strong woman whose death gave a priceless gift to science- immortal cells.

“Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years.

HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. 

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

As author Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of. 

Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.” from Amazon

exploring the HEART of health through books about science

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