DNA translated: Friedrich Miescher's discovery of nuclein in its original context.

Kersten Hall, Neeraja Sankaran

British journal for the history of science 2021 Mar

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In 1871, the Swiss physiological chemist Friedrich Miescher published the results of a detailed chemical analysis of pus cells, in which he showed that the nuclei of these cells contained a hitherto unknown phosphorus-rich chemical which he named 'nuclein' for its specific localisation. Published in German, 'Ueber Die Chemische Zusammensetzung Der Eiterzellen', [On the Chemical Composition of Pus Cells] Medicinisch-Chemische Untersuchungen (1871) 4: 441-60, was the first publication to describe DNA, and yet remains relatively obscure. We therefore undertook a translation of the paper into English, which, together with the original article, can be accessed via the following link https://doi.org/10.1017/S000708742000062X. In this paper, we offer some intellectual context for its publication and immediate reception.

Citation

Kersten Hall, Neeraja Sankaran. DNA translated: Friedrich Miescher's discovery of nuclein in its original context. British journal for the history of science. 2021 Mar;54(1):99-107