Copyright 0 1992 by the Genetics Society of America
Salvador Edward Luria (1912-1991)
'I'llC
511'1 S 1 u \ ~ ~ u l n
FRANCORASETT14 called LURIA'S attention to the raALVADOR E. LURIA (SALVAto family and friends) died on the 6th of February, 1991 at his diogenetic work on Drosophila5 by H. J. MULLERand Imme in Lexington, Massachusetts. He was one of the by N.W.TIMOF~EF-RESSOVSKY,andparticularly to protagonists who, in the early 1940s brought bacteDELRRUCK'S examination of the concept of the gene riophage into the limelight of genetics and helped to in physical terms." Also in Rome,LURIAmet CEO develop this area of research into one of the roots of RITA,' a microbiologist, and was introduced by him molecular biology as w e know it today. This was to bacteriophage. LURIAwas intrigued at thepossibilrecognized in 1969 with a Nobel Prize shared with itiesof bacteriophage for radiobiologicalwork and MAX DELRRUCK and ALFREDD. HERSHEY. started a series of experimentswith RITA'Shelp.8 His He was born SALVATORE LURIA in Turin, Italy, of resolve was further strengthenedby learning (presum;I Jewish family, and attended medical school there, ably through RASETTI)that DELRRUCK,whowas by frequenting thehistology laboratory of professor GIU- then in the United States, had also started working SEPPE LEVI]as an intern. While specializing in radiolon bacteriophage. ogy at Turin and, later, servingin the Italian army as Sadly, the Rome period was short lived. In July, ;I medical officer, LURIA began to consider a career in 1938 the Fascist regime proclaimed the "racial manibasic science as a more appealing alternativeto medfesto." Jewswere thrown out ofjobs.Many emigrated. icine. UCO FANO'was instrumental in this reappraisal. LURIAhadbeenawardedan Italianfellowship for LURIA started to study calculus and physics and, in the study in the United States but it was suddenly withfall of 1937, having moved to Rome to complete his specialization in radiology, was admitted as some kind FRANCO R A S P ~ (b. I 1901). close friend and colleague of FERMI.like of lowly trainee in ENRICO FERMI'S extended group at him professor of phvsics at Rome. author of one of the earliest textbooks of nuclear physics. He left Europe for Canada in 1938 andjoined JohnsHopkins the Physics Institute" of theUniversity of Rome. Here University i n 1947. His broad scicntific interests included biology and pa-
S
GIUSEPPE L E V I (1872-1965). professor of human anatomy and one of I he earliest tissue culture experts. had a large following of research students, RITA LEVI-MONTALtwo other Nobel prize G m e r s (KENATO I~ULRECCO and UNI) among them. A socialist. he was openly opposed to the Fascist regime. W:IS hrirfly jailed, ;Ind spent some time i n hiding during the war. His strong and colorful person;~lity emerges in N. GINZRURG'S Fami/? Sayings (translated hy I). M. Low from fmsiro Famig/iare; E. P. Dutton. Sew York. 1967) and passim i n C. BARIGO~XI'S /.a StanzadiGenefira (Francesco Nastro. Luino. 1 9 N I ) . K. I)UI.RECCO'S Srienza, Vila e Avvenfura (Sperling & Kupfer. Milan. I W9). K. IXVI-SIOVIALCINI'S In Praise o/Imper/Prtion:MyI-+ and Work (Basic I%ooksI'uhlishers. Sew York. 1988). and LURIA (1984). Uco FANO(h. 1912), later professor ofphvsics at the University of (:hicago, was ;I high schnol friend of LURIA'S. He emigrated to theUnited EC the early 1940s a t Cold Stxtcs i n I9JH and collaborated with M. I ~ E M E Rin Spring Harbor on r;ldi;ltion-induced mutations in Drosophila. ' The Department of Phvsics at the Universitv of Rome was then at the p e ~ of k its hme. Its director. 0 . M.CORRINO, eminent scientist. administrator ; m d politician. had heen able to obtain extensive support for ENRICOFERMI ; a n d his collaborators. CORRINO'S sudden death in 1937 probablv accelerated the di;tspora of that group, already destahili7ed by the political situation (see
Salvador Edward Luria (1912-1991)
'I'llC
511'1 S 1 u \ ~ ~ u l n
FRANCORASETT14 called LURIA'S attention to the raALVADOR E. LURIA (SALVAto family and friends) died on the 6th of February, 1991 at his diogenetic work on Drosophila5 by H. J. MULLERand Imme in Lexington, Massachusetts. He was one of the by N.W.TIMOF~EF-RESSOVSKY,andparticularly to protagonists who, in the early 1940s brought bacteDELRRUCK'S examination of the concept of the gene riophage into the limelight of genetics and helped to in physical terms." Also in Rome,LURIAmet CEO develop this area of research into one of the roots of RITA,' a microbiologist, and was introduced by him molecular biology as w e know it today. This was to bacteriophage. LURIAwas intrigued at thepossibilrecognized in 1969 with a Nobel Prize shared with itiesof bacteriophage for radiobiologicalwork and MAX DELRRUCK and ALFREDD. HERSHEY. started a series of experimentswith RITA'Shelp.8 His He was born SALVATORE LURIA in Turin, Italy, of resolve was further strengthenedby learning (presum;I Jewish family, and attended medical school there, ably through RASETTI)that DELRRUCK,whowas by frequenting thehistology laboratory of professor GIU- then in the United States, had also started working SEPPE LEVI]as an intern. While specializing in radiolon bacteriophage. ogy at Turin and, later, servingin the Italian army as Sadly, the Rome period was short lived. In July, ;I medical officer, LURIA began to consider a career in 1938 the Fascist regime proclaimed the "racial manibasic science as a more appealing alternativeto medfesto." Jewswere thrown out ofjobs.Many emigrated. icine. UCO FANO'was instrumental in this reappraisal. LURIAhadbeenawardedan Italianfellowship for LURIA started to study calculus and physics and, in the study in the United States but it was suddenly withfall of 1937, having moved to Rome to complete his specialization in radiology, was admitted as some kind FRANCO R A S P ~ (b. I 1901). close friend and colleague of FERMI.like of lowly trainee in ENRICO FERMI'S extended group at him professor of phvsics at Rome. author of one of the earliest textbooks of nuclear physics. He left Europe for Canada in 1938 andjoined JohnsHopkins the Physics Institute" of theUniversity of Rome. Here University i n 1947. His broad scicntific interests included biology and pa-
S
GIUSEPPE L E V I (1872-1965). professor of human anatomy and one of I he earliest tissue culture experts. had a large following of research students, RITA LEVI-MONTALtwo other Nobel prize G m e r s (KENATO I~ULRECCO and UNI) among them. A socialist. he was openly opposed to the Fascist regime. W:IS hrirfly jailed, ;Ind spent some time i n hiding during the war. His strong and colorful person;~lity emerges in N. GINZRURG'S Fami/? Sayings (translated hy I). M. Low from fmsiro Famig/iare; E. P. Dutton. Sew York. 1967) and passim i n C. BARIGO~XI'S /.a StanzadiGenefira (Francesco Nastro. Luino. 1 9 N I ) . K. I)UI.RECCO'S Srienza, Vila e Avvenfura (Sperling & Kupfer. Milan. I W9). K. IXVI-SIOVIALCINI'S In Praise o/Imper/Prtion:MyI-+ and Work (Basic I%ooksI'uhlishers. Sew York. 1988). and LURIA (1984). Uco FANO(h. 1912), later professor ofphvsics at the University of (:hicago, was ;I high schnol friend of LURIA'S. He emigrated to theUnited EC the early 1940s a t Cold Stxtcs i n I9JH and collaborated with M. I ~ E M E Rin Spring Harbor on r;ldi;ltion-induced mutations in Drosophila. ' The Department of Phvsics at the Universitv of Rome was then at the p e ~ of k its hme. Its director. 0 . M.CORRINO, eminent scientist. administrator ; m d politician. had heen able to obtain extensive support for ENRICOFERMI ; a n d his collaborators. CORRINO'S sudden death in 1937 probablv accelerated the di;tspora of that group, already destahili7ed by the political situation (see
