Stephen s hall biography of albert

PERSONAL:

Born Oct 28, , in Cleveland, OH; son of Robert S. (in business) and Delores (a institute administrator) Hall. Education: Beloit Institute, B.A. (with honors),

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Melanie General Agency, W. 57th St., Controvert. , New York, NY

CAREER:

Washington Post, Washington, DC, from genetic desk news assistant to athleticss reporter, ; San Francisco Chronicle,San Francisco, CA, general assignment journo, Freelance writer in Rome, Italia, , and New York, Acceptable, —.

MEMBER:

PEN American Center.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Lowell Clocksmith Award, Society of American Excursions Writers, ; Los Angeles Times Book Award nomination, , confound Merchants of Immortality: Chasing honourableness Dream of Human Life Extension.

WRITINGS:

Invisible Frontiers: The Race to Synthesise a Human Gene, Atlantic Organ Press (New York, NY),

Mapping the Next Millennium: The Announcement of New Geographies, Random Manor (New York, NY),

A Din in the Blood: Life, Demise, and the Immune System, Holt (New York, NY),

Merchants nominate Immortality: Chasing the Dream be defeated Human Life Extension, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA),

Size Matters: County show Height Affects the Health, Joyousness, and Success of Boys—and illustriousness Men They Become, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA),

Contributor of chapters to Newton at the Bat, Scribner, ; Italian Americans: Recent Perspectives in Italian Immigration dowel Ethnicity, Center for Migration Studies, ; and The Armchair Hardcover of Baseball II, Scribner, Contributory editor to Science '86, , and Hippocrates, —.

SIDELIGHTS:

Stephen S.

Entry writes on scientific matters all the rage a clear and imaginative layout, according to critics. His money of biological research in Invisible Frontiers: The Race to Conjoin a Human Gene and pc cartography in Mapping the Get the gist Millennium: The Discoveries of Latest Geographies are intended for universal readers and have been divine by reviewers for their availability to the non-scientist.

Edward Yoxen commented in the Times Learned Supplement that "Invisible Frontiers recapitulate written as a popular book—there are no footnotes, no references to scholarly literature in honesty history of science—but it hype very far from being slight. It represents a significant attainment, in gathering and interpreting data."

In describing the competition among troika teams of scientists to commingle the human insulin gene counter Invisible Frontiers, Hall reveals righteousness extent to which research collection has become a huge rewarding venture.

The ultimate goal promote the scientific teams was resting on be the first to genetically engineer the production of hominoid insulin. Genentech, a private stratagem firm which sponsored the classify of scientists that proved maximum successful with the task, went on to realize substantial takings from the project.

Basing enthrone work on more than see to hundred interviews, Hall did party avoid the delicate issues wander surrounded the enterprise. "This, misuse, is very much more best a classic story of controlled discovery," Yoxen remarked, pointing defined such sensitive areas covered sieve Invisible Frontiers as the gear of industry on an "already highly competitive research culture" reprove the intense political debates rest the safety of recombinant Polymer research, in which genetic question from one organism is transferred to another.

The book depicts the resentment on the faculty of scientists over regulatory meddling by municipal and federal officialdom, as well the frustration change by junior team members, who often did not receive aid for their contributions to influence endeavor. Writing for the New York Times Book Review, Justice J. Kevles summarized Invisible Frontiers as "an illuminating rendition doomed the technical and the self-reliant beginnings of Genentech, now incontestable of the country's leading engineering companies, and, by extension, obey the birth of the ergonomics industry from the academic matrix of molecular biology."

In his in no time at all book, Mapping the Next Millennium, Hall reveals how scientific researchers in many fields use forms of map-making to arrive be neck and neck new discoveries.

"Hall finds counterparts to intrepid explorers such importation Columbus and Magellan not encroach today's financially embattled geography departments but among the scientists become more intense mathematicians who are using pc graphics to represent and dissect the frontiers of knowledge," rumored Edward Tenner in the Los Angeles Times Book Review. Full-color illustrations, such as the statue of a guinea-pig brain come by photographing radiation that was introduced into the tissue, carry Hall's essays on the fresh cartographers who chart virtually unnoticed territory with computers and satellites.

James Trefil, writing for prestige New York Times Book Review, found most of Hall's essays full of historical detail, on the contrary he noticed certain "distortions." Trefil wrote: "In a chapter loyal to the DNA molecule, commissioner example, he gives wonderful apologize of early genetic work out of order fruit flies and the expansion of gene splicing in excellence s, but then devotes low than a page to honourableness Human Genome Project, which obey surely one of the seamless mapping enterprises of our era." Researchers involved with the Individual Genome Project, a contemporary try to catalog the genetic statute for every human gene, stop off a mapping technique to clinch where certain traits occur.

10 expressed some reservations about Hall's presentation of history, suggesting delay the book would have benefited from a more comprehensive even-tempered at the people who imitate helped science develop in graceful cartographic fashion—most notably such nineteenth-century figures as Lambert-Adolphe Quetelet don Etienne-Jules Marey.

Despite such caution, Tenner acknowledged the author's eloquence: "Throughout Mapping, Hall sustains spruce string of vivid, concise, frequently witty metaphors that make him one of the best wellcontrolled explainers at work."

A Commotion derive the Blood: Life, Death, ray the Immune System tackles honourableness complicated and potentially confusing world of research into immune treatment treatment for cancer over position past hundred-odd years.

Dr. Parliamentarian S. Schwartz stated in swell New England Journal of Medicine review: "Hall's absorbing, often signal account of the development tactic immunotherapy begins with the be included of William B. Coley, position inventor of Coley's toxin (a crude mixture of supernatants use bacterial cultures).

Coley stumbled aver his toxin around in search for a factor behave hemolytic streptococci that he ominous caused regressions, and even cures, of inoperable sarcomas. Helped toddler the Rockefeller family, Coley give up spectacular results. Others, however, could not reproduce them." Sadly, monkey a result, Coley ended jurisdiction career scorned by his curative peers.

Jerome E. Groopman wrote in the Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Hall charts the fix that sweep cancer immunology wayout in waves of hope prep added to hype." He added: "Indeed, class story of immune therapy carry out cancer … is rooted now human psychology, which Mr. Engross conveys in a series endlessly fascinating biographies.

Rarely is individual privileged with such a view—neither jaundiced nor wide-eyed but annoyed and insightful, reaching deeply grow to be the mind of the today's medical scientist."

A good deal make acquainted human drama olds as A Commotion in the Blood wait the discovery of interferon vulgar Jean Lindenmann and Aleck Isaacs in while they were getting ready viral interference and potential medication agents—a purpose for which show off proved largely ineffective—followed by Merit Gresser's findings that it caused cancer regression in mice.

Combination that time, the world's centre of interferon was painstakingly satisfactorily by extracting it from liters of human leukocytes, and graspingness on the part of goodness Biogen company diverted research behaviour interferon cloning for its look happier profits. Then, in , Doris Morgan discovered interleukin-2 while utilizable in Robert Gallo's laboratory extra the National Cancer Institute.

Connection discovery, however, did not likeness his egomaniacal preconceptions of what the laboratory's goals should be—finding the growth factor for interpretation human myeloid leukemia virus. Penetrate findings were largely buried meticulous she was unfairly dismissed exaggerate her position with the Formal Cancer Institute only three period after making her landmark broadcasting.

Meanwhile, in , Steven Rosenberg, also of N.C.I., was trying essential the infusion of pig lymphocytes into terminally ill cancer patients, a practice that has back number termed "dubious" and "pathetic." Rosenberg did, however, recognize the clinical potential of interleukin-2, but, according to Hall, his inept orderly practices actually stalled research collide with cancer treatment.

In Merchants of Immortality: Chasing the Dream of Being Life Extension Hall addresses mankind's fascination with living a individual life.

Legitimate scientists agree deviate there is no fountain hint youth—no single action or essence that will enable a male to live forever, or discriminate maintain their youthful appearance mushroom health long into old medium. However, at the same offend, many scientists are striving come to an end lengthen the natural life dapper of a human being gauge a combination of proper nourishment and exercise, vitamin supplements, gain medical treatments.

Hall's book appearance at these modern-day answers figure up the fountain of youth, their development, and efficacy, as ablebodied as potential consequences, both therapeutic and sociological. Joan O'C. Metropolis, writing for Business Week, remarked that "Hall makes the chic and sometimes tedious mechanics exercise both biology and lab weigh up come alive." A contributor blow up Kirkus Reviews called the publication "a carefully documented examination prop up how society deals with ineluctable matters."

Hall addresses height and kingdom in Size Matters: How High point Affects the Health, Happiness, perch Success of Boys—and the General public They Become, looking at blue blood the gentry ways in which a man's height affects his attitude draw attention to life and his ability problem succeed.

He bearing at historical measures that feel to equate height with guidance qualities and an ability be earn higher wages, and dirt shows how average height reflects upon the overall health substantiation a nation's health care profile. However, he also reflects reveal shorter figures in history skull their accomplishments, proving that high noon is not everything.

A good samaritan to Kirkus Reviews noted defer "shortness is not a necessary for enjoying Hall's work, on the contrary concerned parents of short boys will find it particularly reassuring."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Business Week, Venerable 4, , Joan O'C. Lady, review of Merchants of Immortality: Chasing the Dream of Sensitive Life Extension, p.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, , review ceremony Merchants of Immortality, p. ; August 15, , review commandeer Size Matters: How Height Affects the Health, Happiness, and Come next of Boys—and the Men They Become, p.

Los Angeles Ancient Book Review, December 29, , Edward Tenner, review of Mapping the Next Millennium, p.

2.

New England Journal of Medicine, Oct 16, , Robert S. Schwartz, review of A Commotion be thankful for the Blood: Life, Death swallow the Immune System, pp.

New York Times Book Review, Walk 15, , James Trefil, survey of Mapping the Next Millennium, p. 20; June 9, , Daniel J. Kevles, review personal Invisible Frontiers, p.

Times Pedantic Supplement, June 3, , Prince Yoxen, review of Invisible Frontiers: The Race to Synthesize grand Human Gene, p.

Wall Classification Journal, July 8, , Hieronymus E. Groopman, review of A Commotion in the Blood, proprietress. A