Experiment Eleven, Essay Example

Discovering the life-saving drug: streptomycin effective to treat tuberculosis was a breakthrough for Schatz. However, he was disappointed when his professor, Waksman decided to take credit for the experiment. In the last chapter of the book, the author reveals how the scientist finally gained recognition for his invention.

Schatz was outraged, but had no power in the beginning to fight back. As the author describes: it was just like “a dog yapping at the heels of a great world figure”. However, things changed when he contacted the King of Sweden. He received a favorable response to his letter and attached documents (Pringle 194). When Smithsonian asks the professor for the notebook that contained the research for the drug, he faces a problem: the notebook that contained the breakthrough discovery was not his, but Schatz’. As the author states: “the most important experiment in Schatz’ notebook was Experiment 11” (Pringle 207). Finally, in 1955, when – almost the fist time – a scientist believed Schatz. Professor Beveridge “had addressed the question of whose name came first on scientific papers”. Schatz also gets help from “Uncle Joe” and Milton Wainwright. The scientist, Wainwright finally reads the thesis of Schatz with an open mind and states: “Anyone who reads Schatz’s thesis cannot doubt that it is he who made streptomycin a reality” (Pringle 223). The authorities finally admitted that the credit should be shared between Schatz and Waksman. Finally, on the 15^th Anniversary, Smithsonian acknowledges his role, and Rutgers gives Schatz one of the greatest honors: the Rutgers Medal (Pringle 230).

While – after decades of fight – Schatz gained recognition, the story above has showed that the lack of ethics can damage the reputation of research. It is sad that the scientist had to wait so long to be recognized for his contribution, and that another person got a Nobel Prize for the discovery. Schatz should be satisfied with the end result, but not the treatment he received from the scientist community for decades.

Works Cited

Pringle, P. “Experiment Eleven: Dark Secrets Behind the Discovery of a Wonder Drug” 2012. Print.