Quartet Of Unlikely Discoveries The Double Helix, The Pill, A Pinch Of Salt, Then Saturation

Sylvia Tait (nee Wardropper) was trained as a zoologist and James Tait as a physicist, although they have both become well known endocrinologists. They first collaborated in the discovery of aldosterone (a salt retaining hormone) and then (mainly with the Nobel Prize Winner, Professor T Reichstein) isolated and identified it. They married in 1956 and were elected together to the Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1959. Aldosterone was found to cause hypertension and heart disease in a significant number of patients. These can often be successfully treated by surgery (if due to an adrenal tumour) or by anti-aldosterone compounds. These events are described in this book with personal histories. The authors were in contact with scientists involved in three other discoveries. These were the DNA double helix, oral chemical contraceptives and saturation analysis (or immunoassay). These are described with the emphasis on the interactions of scientists such as R Gosling, M Wilkins and R Franklin; G Pincus, MC Chang and C Djerassi; R Ekins and R Yalow. It is concluded that the common factor in the four discoveries was their unlikely nature in view of the scientists and places involved. This has lessons for research granting committees. Sylvia Wardropper was first married in 1941 to Flt-Lt A Simpson, DFC, who was killed over Bergen in 1942. She continued to use the name Simpson professionally for some years until she remarried. She herself tragically died a few weeks before the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the discovery and identification of aldosterone in April 2003.Tait, Sylvia is the author of 'Quartet Of Unlikely Discoveries The Double Helix, The Pill, A Pinch Of Salt, Then Saturation', published 2004 under ISBN 9781844013432 and ISBN 184401343X.