Calvin Bridges 173195 197207168 2008-03-10T11:27:38Z Gene93k 5014595 Reverted 2 edits by [[Special:Contributions/151.197.112.146|151.197.112.146]] identified as vandalism to last version by 79.210.163.210 '''Calvin Blackman Bridges''' ([[January 11]] [[1889]] - [[December 27]] [[1938]]) was an American scientist, known for his contributions to the field of [[genetics]]. Along with [[Alfred Sturtevant]] and [[H.J. Muller]], Bridges was part of the famous fly room of [[Thomas Hunt Morgan]] at [[Columbia University]]. {{Infobox Scientist |name = Calvin Blackman Bridges |box_width = |image = No_free_image_man_(en).svg |image_width = 200px |caption = Calvin Blackman Bridges |birth_date = [[January 11]] [[1889]] |birth_place = [[Schuyler Falls]] |death_date = [[December 27]] [[1938]] |death_place = [[Los Angeles]] |residence = |citizenship = |nationality = [[United States|American]] |ethnicity = |field = [[genetics]] |work_institutions = |alma_mater = |doctoral_advisor = |doctoral_students = |known_for = [[Heredity]], [[polytene chromosome]] |author_abbrev_bot = |author_abbrev_zoo = |influences = |influenced = |prizes = |religion = |footnotes = |signature = }} Bridges wrote a masterful Ph.D. thesis on "[[Non-disjunction]] as proof of the [[chromosome]] theory of heredity." It appeared as the first paper in the first issue of the journal ''Genetics'' in 1916. His work with sex linked traits in the fruit fly ''[[Drosophila melanogaster]]'' suggested that [[chromosome]]s contained [[gene]]s. Later [[Nettie Maria Stephens]] was able to prove this hypothesis by examining the chromosomes of the fruit flies. Bridges wrote a couple of papers presenting the proof. He thanked her as "Miss Stevens" without stating what her contribution was nor referring to her PhD. Bridges' best-known contribution among Drosophila researchers is his observation and documentation of the [[polytene chromosome]]s found in larval salivary gland cells. The banding patterns of these chromosomes are still used as genetic landmarks by contemporary researchers. ====Character & Death==== Bridges was born on [[January 11]] [[1889]] in [[Schuyler Falls]], [[New York]]. He died on [[December 27]] [[1938]] in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]. Bridges was a good-looking and sexually active man. Kohler says "he was famous for his flamboyant lifestyle; he left his wife and children in the mid-20s (but continued to support them), got a batchelor pad and a vasectomy; propositioned every woman he met, indiscriminately... his extraordinary good looks and innocence were irresistible" (Kohler 1994 p113). His early death has been attributed to a [[heart attack]], and to [[syphilis]]; on this subject Allen says "Bridges had a serious heart attack on December 6, 1938, and died three weeks later on the 27th... Post-mortem showed that the valves of the heart had become infected and were gradually breaking up" (Allen 1978 p380). It is possible, then, that both stories are true, since syphilis becomes generally invasive in its tertiary stage. The symptoms of tertiary syphilis are diverse; the disease often attacks the aorta rather than the valves of the heart. There are no reports of Bridges suffering neurological problems, though much may have been suppressed by his friends and colleagues. The verdict is open. ==Further reading== *Allen, Garfield E. ''Thomas Hunt Morgan: the man and his science''. Princeton University Press 1978 *E.A. Carlson, ''Mendel's Legacy: The Origin of Classical Genetics'', (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2004). ISBN 0-87969-675-3 *E.A. Carlson, ''The Gene: A Critical History'', (Iowa State Press, 1989). ISBN 0-8138-1406-5 *Kohler, Robert E. ''Lords of the fly: Drosophila genetics and the experimental life''. University of Chicago Press 1994. *A. H. Sturtevant, ''A History of Genetics'', (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press,2001). ISBN 0-87969-607-9 [[Category:1889 births|Bridges, Calvin]] [[Category:1938 deaths|Bridges, Calvin]] [[Category:American geneticists|Bridges, Calvin]] [[de:Calvin Bridges]] [[fr:Calvin Bridges]] [[it:Calvin Bridges]] [[pt:Calvin Bridges]]