JBS: The Life and Work of J.B.S. Haldane

by Ronald William Clark

Clark's biography reveals the private life of J.B.S. Haldane - trail-blazing geneticist & physiologist, popularizer of science and dedicated Marxist. His relationships with colleagues & the political establishment were normally acrimonious - the reminiscences of friends & enemies, as well as his private papers, add the weight of personal insight to this examination of a great man.

Acknowledgments
1. Training
Life with father
The enjoyable experience
2. Testing time
The mathematics of evolution
A geneticist in the headlines
"The Prof" of U.C.
3. Into battle
Really facing the dictators
A scientist goes to war
A scientist fights the war
Lysenko: the inescapable choice
"The cuddly cactus"
4. The green fields beyond
The great decision
Aiding India
A brief look at paradise
Good-bye to all that
Bibliography
Index

Genres: Biography, Science

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Ronald William Clark was a British author of biography, fiction and non-fiction. He was educated King's College School. In 1933, he embarked on a career as a journalist, and served as a war correspondent during the Second World War after being turned down for military service on medical grounds. As a war correspondent, Clark landed on Juno Beach with the Canadians on D-Day. He followed the war until the end, and remained in Germany to report on the major War Crimes trials. After his return to Britain he embarked upon a career as an author.

Reviews

[Wilte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly about the life (JBS was a "character", a communist, a bomb maker in the war, an experimentalist for the navy, and someone with high moral standards and not much affected by what others thought of him), hardly anything about his (biology) work, bits about genetic linkage in passing. Or (p159) Haldane estimates selective disadvantage of recessive gene for silver fox pelts (rather than red) to be ~3%/year.

And the contrarian - a defence of chemical warfare [[book:Callinicus: A Defense of Chemical Warfare|20468099]]; "If it is right for me to fight my enemy with a sword, it is right for me to fight with mustard gas; if the one is wrong, so is the other" (p72).

[Vincent Formica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Learned some stuff but not very compelling. Half and was an amazing person and I did walk away with an appreciation for his brilliance.

[Austin Koontz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, even though Haldane was an awesome scientist and interesting person generally, I couldn't enjoy this biography because of the style of the author.

[Nola · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is worth reading just to find out who JBS Haldane was and what he did.
With all the contributions JBS Haldane made to physiology, biochemistry and genetics described in this book, I don’t understand why he is not better known. While I had heard his name, I certainly knew nothing about him. His work and life were so wide-ranging that they are difficult to describe. He was an excellent classical scholar and very good mathematician who challenged authority throughout his life. In college, he changed his course of study to what was called “Greats”, or arts, from science, in which he had excelled. He then worked and taught for the rest of his life in science without a degree in science. One of the things for which he is best known is the popular articles he wrote explaining science. He was very active in the Communist party for a while. He believed that animals should not be used for experiments when humans could be used instead, and he used himself in many experiments that sound both dangerous and damaging. These included subjection to varying combinations of cold, pressure, carbon dioxide and oxygen, usually until unconsciousness was reached. In later life, he moved to India and became a vegetarian, while establishing and working at scientific institutions there.
The book is a little hard to read because the author uses British terminology, quite a few references to British institutions, and mentions even small historical events of the time without always explaining them. Beadle is one example of British terminology, and I have only the vaguest idea what a beadle is. This would be a good book to read on an electronic device where you could look up words as you read, but it is probably not available on any of those. Also frequent references to the letters from which he got the material and the author’s constant descriptions of Haldane’s obstinate character prevent the narrative from flowing as well as it might.

[J.D. Steens · Rating 2 out of 5]

J. B. S. Haldane (1892-1964)made his professional mark as an evolutionary geneticist, but his reputation here is almost overshadowed by events in his personal life. Haldane was strong-willed and outspoken, and lived a life true to his values. Most notably, he was a confirmed Marxist and sympathizer of Stalin and the Communist Party. Late in life, Haldane moved to India and became a citizen, in large part because he was attracted to certain Hindu strains of thought (non-violence, vegetarianism). This Indian phase of Haldane's life and, in particular, his views on animal suffering (and not causing their pain in scientific experiments)is what had initial appeal in picking up this book on a whim. While the author does not really dig into this Indian phase of Haldane's life, or in Haldane's theories about the unity of the sciences, another topic that had interest, Clark's book does provide a comprehensive, blow-by-blow account of Haldane's life for those who are interested.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd come upon references to J.B.S. Haldane (11/5/92–12/1/64) in both scientific and political works for years without knowing much about the man except that he was notable in both fields. I learned that he was a Scottish aristocrat and accomplished geneticist who left his world of privilege to work in newly independent, socialist India upon the British invasion of Egypt in the fifties. Although he was, like many of his generation, naive about the Soviet Union under Stalin, one cannot but admire his committed idealism.

[Marko]

I have two different editions.