Just five years ago a review of the history of biochemistry would have been short and disappointing. The only general history of biochemistry was Fritz Lieben's Geschichte der Physiologischen Chemie, published in 1935,' and there were only a few short studies. Today there are two comprehensive histories of biochemistry, by Joseph Fruton2 and Marcel Florkin,3 a book of essays,4 and several books of historical readings.5 A book on the history of molecular biology has just appeared.6 There are half a dozen relevant institutional histories, several good autobiographies, and several dozen studies on special topics in the history of biochemistry and neighboring fields. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has sponsored two conferences on the history of biochemistry (1971)7 and the history of bioenergetics (1973).8 Since
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