Published Resources Details
Article
- Title
- The Bacteriophage, its Role in Immunology: how Macfarlane Burnet's Phage Research Shaped his Scientific Style
- In
- Studies in the History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
- Imprint
- vol. 41, 2010, pp. 367-75
- Url
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2010.10.012
- Subject
- Chronological Classification 1901- Applied Sciences Medical and Health Sciences
- Abstract
The Australian scientist Frank Macfarlane Burnet-winner of the Nobel Prize in 1960 for his contributions to the understanding of immunological tolerance-is perhaps best recognized as one of the formulators of the clonal selection theory of antibody production, widely regarded as the 'central dogma' of modern immunology. His work in studies in animal virology, particularly the influenza virus, and rickettsial diseases is also well known. Somewhat less known and publicized is Burnet's research on bacteriophages, which he conducted in the first decade of his research career, immediately after completing medical school. For his part, Burnet made valuable contributions to the understanding of the nature of bacteriophages, a matter of considerable debate at the time he began his work. Reciprocally, it was while working on the phages that Burnet developed the scientific styles, the habits of mind and laboratory techniques and practices that characterized him for the rest of his career. Using evidence from Burnet's published work, as well as personal papers from the period he worked on the phages, this paper demonstrates the direct impact that his experiments with phages had on the development of his characteristic scientific style and approaches, which manifested themselves in his later career and theories, and especially in his thinking regarding various immunological problems.
- Source
- cohn 2010
Related Published resources
isRelated
- Sankaran, N., 'Mutant Bacteriophages, Frank Macfarlane Burnet and the Changing Nature of 'Genespeak' in the 1930s', Journal of the History of Biology, 43 (3) (2010), 571-599, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10739-009-9201-4. Details
- Sankaran, N., 'The Pluripotent History of Immunology', Avant: the Journal of the Philosophical-Interdisciplinary Vanguard, 3 (1) (2012), 37-54, https://avant.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/NSankaran-The-pluripotent-_Avant_12012_online.pdf. Details
- Sankaran, Neeraja, 'Stepping-stones to One-step Growth: Frank Macfarlane Burnet's Role in Elucidating the Viral Nature of the Bacteriophages', Historical Records of Australian Science, 19 (1) (2008), 83-100, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR08004. Details
- Sankaran, Neeraja, 'Setting Patterns: the Atypical Choices That Shaped the Career of Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet in Twentieth-Century Australia', Korean Journal for the History of Science, 35 (2013), 343-64. Details
- Sankaran, Neeraja, 'From Plaques to Pocks: Carrying over Bacteriophage Assay Techniques to the Study of Influenza and Other Animal Viruses.', Medical History, 70 (1) (2026), 89-93, https://doi.org/10.1017/mdh.2025.10024. Details