title: Linus Pauling and sickle cell disease.
abstract: The 1949 paper by Linus Pauling et al. [Science 110 (1949) 543-548] describing the discovery of sickle cell anemia as the first molecular disease had a major impact on biology and medicine. Inspired by the scholarly works of John Edsall on the history of hemoglobin research, I present a brief retrospective analysis of Pauling's paper. This is followed by some personal recollections of Edsall and Pauling.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chemical Physics, Building 5, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-0520, USA. eaton@helix.nih.gov
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Eaton
mesh_terms: D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000266:history*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D049673:History, 20th Century; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000266:history; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins