Travels in China, 1973

In March 1973, little more than one year after Richard Nixon’s historic visit, Linus Pauling received a letter inviting him to travel to China for three weeks in the coming summer. He was invited by Wu Yu-hsun, Vice President of the Scientific and Technical Association of the People’s Republic of China, who informed Pauling that [...]

Hydrogen Peroxide

“I am planning to carry out during the next few days some experiments on the resistance of concentrated peroxide to shock by detonators and by rifle bullets, and I shall let you know the results of the experiments.“ -Linus Pauling, letter to T. K. Sherwood, November 14, 1940. Beginning in early 1940, Dr. Paul A. [...]

Penicillin

In early 1942, Merck & Co. began producing penicillin with the intention of making it available for soldiers in the field. Up to that point, the company was able to produce only tiny amounts of the drug, making it a precious commodity. They needed a way to mass produce penicillin. While chemists and biologists worked [...]

Pauling’s Early Development as a Peace Activist

Before America’s involvement in World War II, Linus Pauling was openly in favor of intervention to stop the spread of fascism, a menace that he considered dangerous to the stability of world peace. He was horrified by stories emerging from Europe, some pertaining to the treatment of well-respected scientists. He later received pleas from colleagues [...]

Pauling on the Homefront: The Development of Oxypolygelatin, Part 2

“Science cannot be stopped. Man will gather knowledge no matter what the consequences — and we cannot predict what they will be. Science will go on — whether we are pessimistic, or are optimistic, as I am. I know that great, interesting, and valuable discoveries can be made and will be made…But I know also [...]

Blood and War: The Development of Oxypolygelatin, Part 1

“On the basis of the information available to me, I have formed the opinion that oxypolygelatin solution…may well be a thoroughly satisfactory blood substitute, which could be manufactured cheaply in large quantities. It is probably superior to gelatin itself with respect to fluidity of solution, retention in blood stream, and osmotic pressure.” Linus Pauling, March [...]

Carleton Gajdusek, Doug Strain and Richard T. Jones

Before settling completely in to 2009, we would like to take a moment to note the 2008 passing of three men who had, in various ways, inhabited the Pauling orbit. D. Carleton Gajdusek died on December 12, 2008 at the age of 85.  Gajdusek was a former graduate student of Pauling’s who received international acclaim [...]

Pauling in the ROTC

As most of our readers are no doubt aware, this past Tuesday was Veterans’ Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in many other parts of the world.  In honor of this global occasion, we thought it appropriate to discuss a component of Linus Pauling’s story that may come as a surprise to many — [...]

Thinking Between Disciplines: Immunological Interests and Beyond

“I believe that chemistry will play a very important part in the golden age of biology that is now beginning.” – Linus Pauling, “Molecular Structure and Biological Specificity,” July 17, 1947. One of the reasons why Linus Pauling enjoyed such a prolific and diverse scientific career was his ability to combine and draw inspiration from [...]