Volume 35, Number 15 · October 13, 1988
Two Roads to Stockholm
By M.F. Perutz
Free Radical: Albert Szent-Györgyi and the Battle over Vitamin C
by Ralph W. Moss
Paragon House, 316 pp., $22.95
In Praise of Imperfection: My Life and Work
by Rita Levi-Montalcini, translated by Luigi Attardi
Basic Books, 220 pp., $18.95
Albert Szent-Györgyi was a flamboyant Hungarian biochemist, famous for having isolated vitamin C and for other important discoveries. He was born in Budapest in 1893, lived in Europe through two world wars, and then spent the remainder of his long life at Woods Hole on Cape Cod, where he died in October 1986. His name is the Hungarian for Saint George, whom he tried to emulate when he attempted single-handedly to save his country from the Nazi and Soviet dragons. The title 'Free Radical' is a play on his political and chemical beliefs and the catchy subtitle refers to an alleged battle that occupies no more than thirteen of the book's 316 pages.
Review, 4606 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |