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22 - Macromolecules: Their Structures and Functions

from Part IV - Atomic and Molecular Sciences in the Twentieth Century

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

By
Yasu Furukawa
Edited by
Mary Jo Nye
Mary Jo Nye
Affiliation:
Oregon State University
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Summary

The concept of the macromolecule was formed and evolved within the framework of two sciences that emerged in the twentieth century: polymer chemistry (or macromolecular chemistry) and molecular biology. Over the past three decades, a large number of books have been published on the history of these two fields. While practicing scientists have provided their personal reminiscences as well as technical reviews, historians have shed light on intellectual, institutional, and industrial aspects of the history of these sciences.

The existing literature, however, has rarely covered both fields simultaneously. Just as polymer chemistry and molecular biology are separate disciplines that have demarcated the communities and goals of the practitioners, in like manner have their histories been compiled and treated in isolation. While historians have been eager to look into the origins of molecular biology, they tend to pay little attention, if any, to polymer chemistry. The historical link between polymer chemistry and molecular biology is a subject yet to be explored. The macromolecule was a common conceptual ground that sustained the intellectual framework of the two sciences: Scientists of both fields sought a causal chain of evidence from macromolecular structures to their properties and functions. The development of the two sciences may well be seen as a process of elaboration of the macromolecular concept, as well as the “molecularization” of the physical and life sciences. In keeping with this perspective, this chapter will focus on the “science of macromolecules” from the 1920s to the 1950s.

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The Cambridge History of Science , pp. 429 - 446
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2002

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