Genetic Alchemy: A Social History of the Recombinant DNA Controversy

Krimsky tells the story of the regulation of recombinant DNA in the years 1972 or so through 1982, when this book was written. It is a quick read, written in a journalistic style: much of the storytelling is done via quotes from key participants in the events. Biological regulation was different in this era: the biogists were just realizing that they had enough potential to create dangerous organisms with recombinant DNA, particuarly strains of E. coli (the most commonnly engineered bacterium, and a resident of the human gut) with various other genes in them. The scientists themselves to try to regulate the new technology, and are to a certain degree successful, but various federal agencies and even local governments (starting with the city of Cambridge, MA) get involved. The level of historical and scientific detail can sometimes slow the pace a bit: but those same features make the book fascinating, since Krimsky is able to show how the scientists, as people and as a segment of society, have to deal with the balance between public safety and the advancement of science.