THE ENIGMA OF FERMENT
From the Philosopher's Stone to the First Biochemical Nobel Prize
by Ulf Lagerkvist (Gothenburg University, Sweden)
This popular account of the history of ferment takes the reader on a fascinating journey from its obscure origins in medieval medicine and alchemy to the modern concept of the enzyme. During the 19th century, the question of the nature of the ferment led to a long and bitter conflict between those that believed in a vital force peculiar to the living cell and those that looked for a more chemical explanation. The book takes an in-depth look at the events of 1897 when Eduard Buchner demonstrated that cell-free extracts of yeast could catalyze alcoholic fermentation, putting an end to “vitalism” and at the same time earning him a Nobel Prize, the first to be awarded for purely biochemical work.
Contents:
- Alchemy and the Dawn of Chemistry
- Medicine and Chemistry in the
Scientific Revolution
- A Golden Age of Chemistry
- Ferment or Vital Force
- A Fortuitous Observation
- The Nobel Prize
Readership: Academics as well as general readers.
“Lagerkvist has written a concise but highly informative and lucid history of the emergence of chemistry ... For present-day scholars and students interested in the evolutionary emergence of modern biological sciences and medicine, The Enigma of Ferment is a highly recommended read.”
Paul Berg
Cahill Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus
Stanford University School of Medicine, USA |
“Ulf Lagerkvist has written a book which is both fascinating and easy to read. I can recommend it to everyone who wants a historical perspective on today's medical and biological sciences.”
Torvard C Laurent
University of Uppsala, Sweden |
“In this elegant text ... the close connection between medicine and chemistry over time is richly exemplified. With his great sense for details, Lagerkvist cleverly illustrates the contributions of a great number of colorful characters. This book is a very entertaining journey through the centuries for all readers.”
Lars Thelander
Umea University, Sweden |
“Lagerkvist is a great storyteller without compromising any of the accuracy of his stories. His latest book can be recommended to the layman as much as to the researcher interested in the background and history of our life sciences.”
Istvan Hargittai
Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary |
“Lagerkvist, who has had access to the recently released information and documents in the Swedish Academy on the deliberations preceding Buchner’s well-deserved prize, provides an entertaining and scholarly description of the disagreements and intrigues associated with this particular award. In summary, an excellent and entertaining read for anyone with an interest in the starting points of modern life sciences.”
Dr Tomas Lindahl
London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK |
“This is a story to whet the appetite of young minds for intellectual history, science, or medical research, and to satisfy those more mature minds desirous of a refreshing look at how man came to develop modern concepts of biomedicine.”
Jacques R Fresco
Princeton University, USA |
| 172pp |
Pub. date: Nov 2005 |
