Moj život s mikrobima
In his autobiography, "My Life with Microbes," Nobel Prize winner Selman A. Waksman tells the story of his life dedicated to studying soil microbes, the discovery of streptomycin, and the development of antibiotics.
My Life with Microbes (1954) is the autobiography of Selman Abraham Waksman (1888–1973), an American microbiologist of Ukrainian origin and Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine in 1952.
The book is written in a lively, accessible style and follows Waksman's life from his childhood in a Jewish family in Priluka near Kiev, through his emigration to the United States in 1910, to the peak of his scientific career at Rutgers University. Waksman describes in detail how he fell in love with soil microbiology, especially actinomycetes, and how he spent decades systematically researching soil microorganisms.
The central part of the book is devoted to the discovery of streptomycin in 1943 (in collaboration with students, especially Albert Schatz), the first effective antibiotic against tuberculosis and other serious diseases. Waksman explains the scientific method of screening thousands of soil samples, the fight against disease, the ethical dilemmas, and the enormous impact of antibiotics on 20th-century medicine. He is also the author of the term antibiotic.
The autobiography portrays Waksman as a passionate scientist, a dedicated teacher, and researcher who has spent his entire life with microbes. The book also includes personal memories, encounters with other scientists, and reflections on science, happiness, and social responsibility.
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