A Skeptical Biochemist

by Joseph Stewart Fruton

1992 · Harvard University Press

An eminent pioneer of modern protein chemistry looks back on six decades in biochemical research and education to advance stimulating thoughts about science. Joseph Fruton brings his own skeptical vision to bear on how chemistry and biology interact to describe living systems.

Contrasts in Scientific Style

by Joseph Stewart Fruton

1990 · American Philosophical Society

Recounts the various styles of leadership shown by several prominent German chemists and biochemists during the period 1830 to 1914. Featured particularly are chemists Liebig, Baeyer and Emil Fischer and biochemists Hoppe-Seyler, Kuhne and Hofmeister. In a final chapter, Fruton considers the relevance of the conclusions drawn from the style of these 19th- and early 20th-centuy men to the styles of more recent research groups in the chemical and biochemical sciences. Special emphasis is placed on their influence on their scientific progenies in Germany, and in England, Russia, and the U.S. Attention is given to the individual contributions of the junior members of these scientific groups to the growth of knowledge within their disciplines.

Methods and Styles in the Development of Chemistry

by Joseph Stewart Fruton

2002 · American Philosophical Society

Chemistry as it is known today is deeply rooted in a variety of thought & action, dating back at least as far as the fifth century B.C. In this book, Joseph Fruton weaves together the history of scientific investigation with social, religious, philosophical, & other events & practices that have contributed to the field of modern chemistry. The story begins with the influence of alchemy on early Greek numerology and philosophy, followed by the historical account of chemical composition and phlogiston. The life and work of Antoine Lavoisier receive extensive coverage in Chapter Three, with the remaining six chapters devoted to atoms, equivalents, and elements; radicals and types; valence and molectualr structure; stereochemistry and organic synthesis; forces, equilibria, and rates; and electrons, reaction mechanisms, and organic synthesis.