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A review by abigailemg
Rosalind Franklin by Brenda Maddox
3.0
From my blog.
As a younger scientific reader, I had previously heard of Rosalind Franklin. Probably unlike the target audience of this biography, the general public, I have a rudimentary knowledge of her contribution to the discovery of the double helical structure of DNA, and the importance of it. This book was an informative read, however, on the life of a contributor to one of the greatest scientific discoveries in the 20th century.
It is clear that Franklin was a private person and that only a few of her co-workers were close enough to her to offer a clear insight into her work and behaviour; her family knew little of her work and accomplishments.
In her two years at King’s College London, Franklin made major contributions to the understanding of DNA; establishing it exists in two forms (though it is now known to exist in three), working out the position of phosphorous atoms in the backbone, and utilising her prior knowledge in x-ray techniques to photograph the patterns of DNA.
Maddox’s analysis of Franklin’s contributions to science is done in layman terms. Little is disclosed about how her early papers on coal contributed to the field and why those advancements benefited the mining industry and world.
The author does well in setting the scene, helping the reader understand the subtleties of women working in that era, especially in the male-dominated area of science. I feel there could have been more explanation regarding how in post-war Britain women were again relegated to the sidelines after helping make major contributions in the war effort.
“Our dark lady is leaving us next week” – 7th March 1953, Maurice Wilkins writing to Francis Crick
Due to different health and safety regulations, and less knowledge on the effects of radiation and chemical exposure on people’s health, her research probably contributed significantly to her tragic death at the age of 37 from ovarian cancer. Franklin was known to become impatient when she had to leave the lab due to prolonged exposure to radiation, and she insisted on carrying out as much work as possible throughout the later stages of her illness.
Whilst the controversy surrounding the accreditation of the double helix discovery has somewhat settled, with most textbooks now acknowledging Franklin along with Francis Crick and James Watson, at the time of the biography’s publication it was still a major topic of debate amongst feminists. In many ways, this biography set out to address the biased views expressed in Watson’s autobiography ‘The Double Helix’, published after Franklin’s death, and it is interesting to compare the two.
I feel that Maddox’s intention was not only to address the view’s expressed by Crick and Watson, and their disparagement to her character, but to provide the readers with a balanced, yet accurate, portrayal of Franklin’s personal and professional life, whilst making her reader’s aware of Franklin’s contributions to the scientific community and to ensure she is adequately acknowledged for her work. Both are worthwhile endeavours, and in her latter goal, she is also promoting less sexism and other prejudices in the scientific community to her audience.
As a younger scientific reader, I had previously heard of Rosalind Franklin. Probably unlike the target audience of this biography, the general public, I have a rudimentary knowledge of her contribution to the discovery of the double helical structure of DNA, and the importance of it. This book was an informative read, however, on the life of a contributor to one of the greatest scientific discoveries in the 20th century.
It is clear that Franklin was a private person and that only a few of her co-workers were close enough to her to offer a clear insight into her work and behaviour; her family knew little of her work and accomplishments.
In her two years at King’s College London, Franklin made major contributions to the understanding of DNA; establishing it exists in two forms (though it is now known to exist in three), working out the position of phosphorous atoms in the backbone, and utilising her prior knowledge in x-ray techniques to photograph the patterns of DNA.
Maddox’s analysis of Franklin’s contributions to science is done in layman terms. Little is disclosed about how her early papers on coal contributed to the field and why those advancements benefited the mining industry and world.
The author does well in setting the scene, helping the reader understand the subtleties of women working in that era, especially in the male-dominated area of science. I feel there could have been more explanation regarding how in post-war Britain women were again relegated to the sidelines after helping make major contributions in the war effort.
“Our dark lady is leaving us next week” – 7th March 1953, Maurice Wilkins writing to Francis Crick
Due to different health and safety regulations, and less knowledge on the effects of radiation and chemical exposure on people’s health, her research probably contributed significantly to her tragic death at the age of 37 from ovarian cancer. Franklin was known to become impatient when she had to leave the lab due to prolonged exposure to radiation, and she insisted on carrying out as much work as possible throughout the later stages of her illness.
Whilst the controversy surrounding the accreditation of the double helix discovery has somewhat settled, with most textbooks now acknowledging Franklin along with Francis Crick and James Watson, at the time of the biography’s publication it was still a major topic of debate amongst feminists. In many ways, this biography set out to address the biased views expressed in Watson’s autobiography ‘The Double Helix’, published after Franklin’s death, and it is interesting to compare the two.
I feel that Maddox’s intention was not only to address the view’s expressed by Crick and Watson, and their disparagement to her character, but to provide the readers with a balanced, yet accurate, portrayal of Franklin’s personal and professional life, whilst making her reader’s aware of Franklin’s contributions to the scientific community and to ensure she is adequately acknowledged for her work. Both are worthwhile endeavours, and in her latter goal, she is also promoting less sexism and other prejudices in the scientific community to her audience.