Walter B. Cannon, Science and Society (review)

This second volume of a two-volume biography of Walter B. Cannon focuses on the Harvard physiologist's life and career between World War I, when he was in his mid-forties, and 1945, when he died at age seventy-three. Thirteen years separated the publication of the first and final volumes of this definitive study of Cannon, one of the most significant figures in American medical science during the first half of the twentieth century. Sadly, during this interval one of the authors (Barger) died and another (Benison) became disabled by dementia. So we should be especially grateful to Elin Wolfe, who completed and edited the manuscript for publication.

Each of the three individuals who collaborated on this biography brought unique expertise and insights to the project. Clifford Barger, an eminent scientist, was a member of the Harvard physiology department for fifty years. Saul Benison is a noted historian and pioneer of oral history, whose work focused on the careers of American biomedical scientists. Wolfe, an editor and former archivist at the Countway Medical Library of the Harvard Medical School, worked with the Cannon papers for many years. The result is an interesting and well-written book that includes eighty-seven pages of notes, several dozen photographic illustrations, and a comprehensive name-subject index.

The book's subtitle, "Science and Society," reveals the authors' ambitious aim of synthesizing scientific and social history in their study of the final three decades of Cannon's life. Some readers will find their presentation of certain technical aspects of Cannon's research challenging. This scientific content is important, however, if we hope to understand the origin and evolution of his academic interests and the output and impact of his research. Drawing from his voluminous correspondence and his many publications, the authors skillfully blended biographical, scientific, and technical facts and themes. Importantly, they placed Cannon's career and contributions in a larger intellectual and social context. Their comprehensive study, which reminds me of Frederic (Larry) Holmes's brilliant two-volume biography of Hans Krebs, should serve as a model for other scientific or medical biographers.

Cannon's most important scientific contributions related to the physiology of traumatic shock, the sympathetic nervous system, homeostasis, and the chemical transmission of nervous impulses. During the period covered in this book, his research program grew significantly as the Rockefeller Foundation and other philanthropies pumped money into Harvard and other elite research-oriented medical schools. Cannon expanded the focus and intensity of his research effort in response to a larger budget and new stipends for visiting researchers. His national and international influence grew as the students, junior faculty members, and visiting scholars he mentored returned to their home institutions or accepted positions elsewhere.

Although Cannon referred to himself in letters as a "laboratory hermit," he was actively engaged in several organizations and devoted considerable time and energy to larger social issues during his career. Some were predictable, while others were not. Like his predecessor Henry P. Bowditch (who founded Harvard's Physiology Department in 1871) and several other leading American experimental physiologists, Cannon played a major role in defending animal research against the disruptive and sustained attacks of the antivivisectionists. The period of his life covered in this volume was framed by two world wars, an era that witnessed a major global depression and widespread political unrest. Concerned about the implications for science of political instability and repression, Cannon was active in movements to find new institutional homes for displaced or vulnerable scientists when events in Europe and Asia threatened their careers.

Cannon's personality and his personal life are illuminated by extensive excerpts from his correspondence with his wife, other family members, and colleagues. His wife, Cornelia, was a...