Bøger i Springer Biographies serien

Medical treatments designed to help people can also be harmful or fatal. Around 2.5 million people die this way each year. So if any kind of medicine makes someone unwell, they or their doctor should report it. Those reports, from nearly every country in the world, go to the Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC) in Sweden. As the Centre¿s first director, Professor Ivor Ralph Edwards transformed it from a tiny operation with limited horizons into an internationally acclaimed scientific organization at the heart of the World Health Organization¿s Programme for International Drug Monitoring. He was then succeeded by his wife, Dr Marie Lindquist.This is the story of how a new science developed and a passionate and dedicated pursuit of worldwide medicines safety, with an unerring focus on the welfare of patients. The pioneering work of Ralph, Marie and their collaborators on every continent protected the lives of millions of people. It may yet improve the lives of billions more.

This book is the result of extensive archival research conducted on the Collection "e;Silvano Arieti Papers"e; held in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. It offers readers the first scientific biography of the renowned Italian-born psychiatrist Silvano Arieti, who in 1939 emigrated to the United States, where he gained fame and recognition for his work on schizophrenia. In 1975, the second edition of his book, Interpretation of Schizophrenia, received the National Book Award in Science.The book has been cast as a twofold journey: an exploration of the life of a psychiatrist and scientist and an overview of twentieth century psychiatry and its significant issues, debates, and transformations. Readers will find useful insights for a better understanding of psychiatry as a discipline capable of portraying the complexity of human nature. 

This book provides a detailed biographical account of the industrious late nineteenth-century astronomer William Frederick Denning who, in later life, rose to be a celebrated public figure and a highly respected amateur astronomer. The book also examines Denning¿s many contributions to the astronomy of his time.As an indomitable promotor of amateur astronomy, Denning was closely involved in the formation of the short-lived, but historically pivotal, Observational Astronomy Society (OAS) in 1869. Readers will learn about the origins and the observational programs initiated by the OAS, and the author also presents a series of biographical sketches of its most industrious members. Furthermore, by examining Denning¿s letters and publications, the author shows how he helped to nurture the growth of amateur astronomy, also teaching amateur observers how to make their efforts scientifically useful.A stalwart observer and enthusiast himself, Denning was a key player in the development of meteor astronomy in England, culminating in his being invited, in 1922, to be the first President of Commission 22 (meteors, meteorites and interplanetary dust) of the newly formed International Astronomical Union. The text follows the development and rapid growth of meteor astronomy during the nineteenth century, focusing upon the key observations and important theoretical advances. In addition, it pays tribute to pioneering practitioners, who, along with Denning, set out to unravel the story and secrets of the shooting stars.While not an openly forthright or strident figure, Denning, at the height of his career, became embroiled in two public and controversial issues. The first related to his pseudo-scientific theory of optical blurring, and his belief that large-aperture telescopes performed less efficiently than smaller-aperture telescopes when used in the study of planetary disks. The second concerned the mysterious issue of stationary meteor shower radiants¿an apparent observational reduction that was completely at odds with both the standard theories of gravitational dynamics and the generally accepted notion of meteoroid stream structure. The book explores these two controversies and uses them to examine Denning¿s outlook on scientific methodology.

This autobiography chronicles the life and career of Haralampos M. Moutsopoulos, an internationally renowned professor of medicine and prolific researcher on Sjogren's syndrome and autoimmune rheumatic diseases. In language that is simple and direct, he takes us on a fascinating journey from the days of his first scientific awakenings at a hospital in his native town of Ioannina, Greece, through his university years in Athens and training in the U.S., to his eventual return to his homeland. In Greece, he developed two centers of excellence in his field, first at the newly founded University of Ioannina Medical School Department of Internal Medicine and, second, at the Athens University Medical School, Department of Pathophysiology, where he taught until his retirement in 2011. Along the way, he introduces us to his teachers and mentors, and to the colleagues and students he mentored in turn, many of whom went on to assume high-ranking positions in Greece and abroad. A major theme throughout the book is his impassioned struggle for excellence, meritocracy, and transparency in universities and in the National Health System in Greece. Peppered with both amusing and unsettling incidents from this lifelong crusade to raise professional standards and against misconduct, the book is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about or entering the medical profession.

This book tells the story of a unique scientific and human adventure, following the life and science of Bruno Touschek, an Austrian born physicist, who conceived and built AdA, the first matter-antimatter colliding-beam storage ring, the ancestor of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN where the Higgs Boson was discovered in 2012. Making extensive use of archival sources and personal correspondence, the author offers for the first time a unified history of European efforts to build modern-day particle accelerators,  from the dark times of war-ravaged Europe up to the rebuilding of science in Germany, UK, Italy and France through the 1950s and early 1960s. This book, the result of several years of scholarly research work, includes numerous previously unpublished photos as well as original drawings by Bruno Touschek. 

Denise Scott Brown is best known as part of one of the most acclaimed architectural partnerships in modern architectural history, Denise Scott Brown & Robert Venturi. Together with Venturi, she ran the firm Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates (VSBA). Their architectural and urban planning designs, theories and publications caused a revolution in the world of architecture. Their most famous theoretical work, co-authored with Steven Izenour, Learning from Las Vegas, became a global phenomenon that marked the 20th century. Scott Brown & Venturi were also a married couple. However, in the traditional male-dominated architectural world, men were automatically put in leadership positions while the role of women was always underplayed, although they worked in equal partnership and made the same contribution. The role of Denise Scott Brown in joint projects, in the eyes of the public, was for decades diminished, while Venturi was brought to the forefront and celebrated as a genius. She never received due recognition for her work.This book is entirely dedicated to Denise Scott Brown and gives her the credit she deserves. It informs readers about her life, analyzes her projects in both architecture and urban planning, and offers a better understanding of her theories. The seven chapters provide a comprehensive insight into the world of legendary Denise and complete the knowledge necessary to understand her as a true and authentic diva of architecture, an innovative urban planner, theorist and passionate professor. Chapter 8 is a comprehensive conclusion that rounds off the monograph through a shorter review of numerous topics covered in the previous chapters. At the very beginning of the book is a letter that Denise wrote to the author. Her words are an authentic testimony of her life after 1967. The book is richly illustrated with a total of 274 photographs, urban planning layouts and various project illustrations.

The major purpose of this book is to present Johann Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) in a real and interesting way based on the most recent historical research and analysis of authentic sources. The authors aim to show Mendel's scientific thinking and inner feelings together with his environment and to communicate his message as a multifaceted personality and modern experimentalist.The book draws from the only existing short sketch of Mendel's youth, his letters and the biographical ceiling paintings that were made according to his proposal. They form the basis of the self-portrait concept. The structure of the book follows thematic groups covering Mendel's activities from a poor village boy in search for education and financial security, as not being physically suitable for running his father's farm. The book does not perpetuate the myths invented by some creative authors to make Mendel's biography more attractive. Mendel's life and work are dramatic enough without those embellishments. Mendel found happiness in science and he was able to explain the theory of new scientific facts. He was not a tragic figure, he did not work to become famous, but to be useful. His pea research has now been appreciated as a genius accomplishment of a scientist. The book is published at the occasion of Mendel's birthday bicentennial.

This book is an autobiographical interview with Chinese Academician Yuan Wang on his experience in mathematical research. The book looks back on Wang's collaboration with his teacher Hua Loo-Keng and younger scholars, offering insights into fruitful cooperation in mathematical research.In this book, Yuan Wang¿s path of studying Goldbach conjecture is revealed in detail from motivation to method. Then his work on algebraic number theory is traced back in a separate chapter. The book ends with two chapters which introduce Wang¿s interest in history of mathematics and his hobbies outside of mathematical research. Wang shows how a mathematician can in the same time be a historical and popular science writer and, in particular, a well-received calligrapher. The book is intended for undergraduate and graduate students studying number theory. Researchers who are willing to learn from the experience of an established mathematician, as well as math amateurs and general audience who are interested in Yuan Wang's life story might also find this book appealing.

During his lifetime, Kurt Godel was not well known outside the professional world of mathematicians, philosophers and theoretical physicists. Early in his career, for his doctoral thesis and then for his Habilitation (Dr.Sci.), he wrote earthshaking articles on the completeness and provability of mathematical-logical systems, upsetting the hypotheses of the most famous mathematicians/philosophers of the time. He later delved into theoretical physics, finding a unique solution to Einstein's equations for gravity, the 'Godel Universe', and made contributions to philosophy, the guiding theme of his life. This book includes more details about the context of Gdel's life than are found in earlier biographies, while avoiding an elaborate treatment of his mathematical/scientific/philosophical works, which have been described in great detail in other books. In this way, it makes him and his times more accessible to general readers, and will allow them to appreciate the lasting effects of Gdel's contributions (the latter in a more up-to-date context than in previous biographies, many of which were written 15-25 years ago). His work spans or is relevant to a wide spectrum of intellectual endeavor, and this is emphasized in the book, with recent examples. This biography also examines possible sources of his unusual personality, which combined mathematical genius with an almost childlike naivet concerning everyday life, and striking scientific innovations with timidity and hesitancy in practical matters. How he nevertheless had a long and successful career, inspiring many younger scholars along the way, with the help of his loyal wife Adele and some of his friends, is a fascinating story in human nature.

This non-technical biography of Jacobus Cornelius Kapteyn (1851-1922) presents to the general reader the scientific life of the astronomer who pioneered the studies of the structure of the Milky Way Galaxy. In telling KapteynΓÇÖs story the author weaves in astronomy basics and uses modern astronomical images to show the developments of astronomical research from KapteynΓÇÖs times to the present. In particular the study of the distribution of stars in space has now culminated with spectacular new insights coming from the astrometric satellite GAIA, which is receiving much public attention today.The biography shows how KapteynΓÇÖs ideas influenced prominent astronomers worldwide. He is prominent as designer of the Kapteyn Universe, the alternative to the large system found by Harlow Shapley. He is the discoverer of KapteynΓÇÖs Star, still the second fastest moving star in the sky, which is now one of the nearest stars with a planet in the habitable zone. This fascinating hybrid of astronomy history and popular astronomy tells the story of the astronomy professor without an observatory who founded the first astronomical laboratory specializing in measuring photographic plates exposed elsewhere. Kapteyn took astronomy out of cataloguing stars to measuring distances and velocities in order to study their spatial distribution, systematic motions (KapteynΓÇÖs Star Streams) and the equilibrium between their gravity and motions. His legacy includes, in addition to the first application of Galactic structure and dynamics, Jan Hendrik Oort, the famous astronomer from Leiden, who as a student was so impressed by KapteynΓÇÖs lectures that he decided to become an astronomer.

A principal aim of this first biography of Robert Le Rossignol, engineer of the Haber process, is to bring new evidence to the attention of the scientific community allowing a re-assessment of the origins of the 'Haber' process.

This book provides a fascinating insight into the life and scientific work of Laura Bassi, the first female member of the influential Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna and also the first woman to be appointed a university professor in physics, or universal philosophy as it was then termed. The book describes Laura Bassi¿s research activities and achievements, explaining the influence of Newton, her role in promoting Newtonian experimental physics in Bologna, and her work as an experimentalist, including on electricity. Much attention is paid to the context in which Bassi developed her career. The very considerable difficulties faced by a woman surrounded by male university teachers and members of the Academy are discussed, casting light on the constraints that led Bassi to set up the first experimental physics laboratory in her home, complete with the many instruments required for experimentation and private teaching. The aim is to provide a rounded and well-documentedaccount of the scientific endeavors and achievements of a too often overlooked scientist who struggled to overcome the prejudices of her age.

Told in an amiable, engaging voice with an expert balance of levity and earnestness, this story will charm casual readers interested in medical history and memoir, as well as doctors and researchers who identify with the experiences and may benefit from the research and techniques employed.

It is in fact, a critical, indispensable debriefing of a UN insider's account as it follows the life of a development practitioner for more than three decades within the global aid sector.It also goes where few others have dared to go before, providing first-hand insights into the realities of a UN career official's life.

Vladimir Babitsky was born before the Second World War and migrated West after Perestroika. The author has lived through a series of fascinating epochs: experiencing life under totalitarianism, witnessing the Soviet Union's collapse, and then migrating to Europe as a specialist in his field.

This book explores the lives and achievements of two Irish sisters, Edith and Florence Stoney, who pioneered the use of new electromedical technologies, especially X-rays but also ultraviolet radiation and diathermy.

This book provides a fascinating insight into the life and scientific work of Laura Bassi, the first female member of the influential Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna and also the first woman to be appointed a university professor in physics, or universal philosophy as it was then termed. The book describes Laura Bassi¿s research activities and achievements, explaining the influence of Newton, her role in promoting Newtonian experimental physics in Bologna, and her work as an experimentalist, including on electricity. Much attention is paid to the context in which Bassi developed her career. The very considerable difficulties faced by a woman surrounded by male university teachers and members of the Academy are discussed, casting light on the constraints that led Bassi to set up the first experimental physics laboratory in her home, complete with the many instruments required for experimentation and private teaching. The aim is to provide a rounded and well-documented account of the scientific endeavors and achievements of a too often overlooked scientist who struggled to overcome the prejudices of her age.

This is a thorough, very readable and excellently illustrated biography of Willem de Sitter (1872-1934), one of the most influential astronomers of his time, and also a co-author and correspondent of Einstein. Authored by a physicist and skilled writer, the book gives a beautiful and accessible description of the physics debated by Einstein and de Sitter, as well as the latter's alternative cosmological model, later known as the De Sitter Universe. But this is just part of a fascinating and varied life story involving numerous contributions to astronomy, as well as many places and personalities of early 20th century physics. The book will appeal to all those interested in astronomy and physics and their history.

This authoritative biography addresses the life and work of the quantum physicist David Bohm. David Bohm dedicated his entire life to enhancing our understanding of quantum mysteries, in particular quantum nonlocality.

Translated from the original French and annotated with figures, historical maps and commentary from the translators, this work is Jean-Charles Houzeau's account of his escape from Texas during the American Civil War.