POLITICS, PERSONALITIES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE

This lecture recounts a story that attempts to trace the history of id eas relating to tissue transplantation from the earliest times through to the present. This story was shaped by the strong Darwinian approac h to biology championed by Burnet and Medawar. It also describes the p olitical influence developed from the strong Lamarckian leanings of th e communist supporters in the USSR, and the fact that the biological a rgument between those supporting Lamarck and those supporting Darwin w as seen by the Praesidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences to be equate d with the ideological class struggle between socialism and capitalism . This story points out that while science is valued for its objectivi ty, its dependence on personalities adds a subjective element. This su bjective element is always present and it colours our science by refle cting both the political and cultural movements of the time.