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Sergei Mikhailovich Gershenzon, the scientist who was ahead of his time
 
PIIS020596060003894-5-1
DOI10.31857/S020596060003894-5
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Roman Fando 
Affiliation: S. I. Vavilov Institute for the History of Science and Technology, Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameVoprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki
EditionVolume 40 1
Pages73-94
Abstract

This paper reviews a scientific biography of a prominent geneticist S. M. Gershenzon, reconstructed using the documents from the Moscow, Samara, and Kiev archives, with most of these documents being introduced for scientific use for the first time. The scientist’s fate reflected the pages from the history of Russian genetics: its nascence, rise, persecution, and revival. In 1937, he was not allowed to be granted a Doctor of Sciences degree due to his belonging to the Morganist / Mendelist camp. During World War II, Gershenzon worked in the evacuation and, after his return, he was accused of “cosmopolitism.” After the notorious VASKhNIL session in August 1948, the scientist was forced to renounce his scientific views and switch to another research area. During the Thaw, he took an active part in the struggle against Lysenkoism as well as in the exoneration of genetics and organization of molecular biology research in the Soviet Union. Gershenzon’s innovative works – studies on the genetic role of DNA and reverse transcription from RNA to DNA – garnered no support in his home country and, as a result, it was foreign scientists who were awarded a Nobel Prize for their works in this field. Even in the post-Perestroika period, the researcher encountered bureaucratic pressure and scheming on the part of his enemies when he struggled to register his scientific invention. In later life, Gershenzon was actively involved in science popularization, the struggle against cruel experiments and development of ethical principles of contemporary biology.

KeywordsS. M. Gershenzon, history of genetics, transmission of hereditary characteristics, DNA, Lysenkoism, revival of genetics
Publication date27.03.2019
Number of characters53195
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