René Dubos

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René Jules Dubos
The Rockefeller University
(formerly The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research)

René Jules Dubos (February 20, 1901 – February 20, 1982) was a French-American

The Rockefeller University
.

Early life and education

Dubos was born in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt, France, on February 20, 1901, and grew up in Hénonville, another small Île-de-France farming village north of Paris. His parents operated butcher shops in each of these villages.[3] He attended high school and the National Institute of Agronomy in Paris, and he received a Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1927.[1]

Career

Dubos began his career in microbiology in 1927, when he joined Oswald Avery's laboratory[4] at The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Avery was looking for a microbe that could break down the polysaccharide capsule of a deadly strain of bacterial pneumonia in the same way that soil bacteria digested decaying organic matter in the woods. Dubos identified a bacterium that secreted an enzyme that broke down polysaccharide.[5] In 1939, with the help of Rockefeller Institute biochemist Rollin Hotchkiss, Dubos isolated the antibacterial agents tyrothricin and gramicidin from the bacterium Bacillus brevis that killed or inhibited Gram-positive bacteria and tested their bacterial, chemical, and clinical properties. These antibiotics remain in limited use today. In 1942, before antibiotics were in general use, Dubos warned that bacterial resistance should be expected.[6]

Dubos devoted most of his professional life to the empirical study of microbial diseases and to the analysis of the environmental and social factors that affect the welfare of humans. His pioneering research in isolating antibacterial substances from certain soil

acquired immunity, natural susceptibility, and resistance to infection
.

In 1948, Dubos shared the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award with

National Academy of Sciences, he served as an editor of the Journal of Experimental Medicine from 1946 to 1972.[10]

In later years, Dubos explored the interplay of

environmental forces and the physical, mental and spiritual development of mankind. The main tenets of his humanistic philosophy were: global problems are conditioned by local circumstances and choices, social evolution
enables us to rethink human actions and change direction to promote an ecologically balanced environment, the future is optimistic since human life and nature are resilient and we have become increasingly aware of the dangers inherent in natural forces and human activities, and we can benefit from our successes and apply the lessons learned to solving other contemporary environmental problems.

For the academic years 1963–1964 and 1964–1965, he was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies of

Society for Science & the Public
, from 1949 to 1952.

Think Globally, Act Locally

Main article:
Think Globally, Act Locally

Dubos is often attributed as the author of the popular maxim "Think Globally, Act Locally" that refers to the argument that global environmental problems can turn into action only by considering ecological, economic, and cultural differences of our local surroundings. This motto appeared for the first time in 1977,[12] five years after Dubos served as advisor to the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment.[13] In 1979, Dubos suggested that ecological consciousness should begin at home. He urged creation of a world order in which "natural and social units maintain or recapture their identity, yet interplay with each other through a rich system of communications". In the 1980s, Dubos held to his thoughts on acting locally, and felt that issues involving the environment must be dealt with in their "unique physical, climatic, and cultural contexts". Dubos' approach to building a resilient and constructive relationship between people and the Earth continues to resonate.[14]

Death

He died February 20, 1982, his 81st birthday, due to heart failure.[15] He was survived by his wife, Jean Porter Dubos, who died in 1988.[16]

Legacy

  • In 1998, the René Dubos Center for Human Environments donated a large portion of its environmental library and archives to Pace University. The collection consists of works by Dubos as well as those of other leading environmental scholars, some of which have been annotated by Dubos himself. According to Robert Chapman, professor of philosophy and coordinator of Pace's Environmental Studies Program, "Pace now has many of Dubos's own research books from the Rockefeller University, and this means that we can not only look at his writing, but we can also do an analysis of where his ideas come from and what influenced him."
  • In 1979, the René Dubos Center purchased 30 acres (120,000 m2) of land in North Castle, New York, with donations from foundations. As a condition of the purchase it agreed to keep the property in a natural state. Nevertheless, in 2002 it attempted to sell the land to developer Michael Cappelli, who planned to develop luxury homes there. The Center filed legal action in 2007 to attempt to complete this transaction; however, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo opposed the move, and the State Supreme Court ruled against the Center in that year. In 2009, the controversy was resolved when the Center agreed to sell the land to the village of Mount Kisco, New York.[17]

Awards and honors

  • Recipient of the International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.
  • Winner of
    So Human An Animal
    in 1969

Books

As editor

Collected papers

The collected papers of Dubos from 1927–1982 including correspondence, lecture notes, book and article drafts, laboratory notebooks, photographs, audio and video cassettes, and films, are stored at the Rockefeller Archive Center.

References

  1. ^ a b Montgomery, Paul L. (February 21, 1982). "Rene Dubos, Scientist And Writer, Dead". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes: General Nonfiction". pulitzer.org. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  3. ISBN 978-0-309-03938-3
    .
  4. S2CID 72917685
    .
  5. ^ "Gramicidin: Ushering in the Scientific Era of Antibiotic Discovery and Therapy". Rockefeller University Hospital. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  6. doi:10.1146/annurev.bi.11.070142.003303
    .
  7. ^ "1948 Winners". laskerfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  8. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  9. ^ "Rene Jules Dubos". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  10. ^ "Rene J. Dubos". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  11. ^ "Guide to the Center for Advanced Studies and Records, 1958–1969". Wesleyan University. Archived from the original on 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  12. ^ Willy Gianinazzi, « Penser global, agir local. Histoire d'une idée », EcoRev'. Revue critique d'écologie politique, n° 46, été 2018, p. 24.
  13. ISBN 1-55581-340-2
    .
  14. ^ Revkin, Andrew C. (June 6, 2011). "A 'Despairing Optimist' Considered Anew". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  15. ^ Montgomery, Paul L. (21 February 1982). "RENE DUBOS, SCIENTIST AND WRITER". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  16. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  17. ^ "Attorney General Cuomo Approves Sale of Rene Dubos Property to Town of Mount Kisco, Protecting Open Space and Water Supply" (Press release). New York State Office of the Attorney General. June 4, 2009. Retrieved 2014-10-07.

External links

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