Max Perutz

Huxley studied physics at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ%27s_College,_Cambridge" title="Christ's College, Cambridge">Christ's College, Cambridge</a> in 1941. During his second year, his education was interrupted by the Second World War, and he joined the Royal Air Force as a radar officer. He worked on the development of radar equipment for during 1943 to 1947, for which he was later honoured a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire" title="Member of the Order of the British Empire" class="mw-redirect">Member of the Order of the British Empire</a> (MBE). His expertise in mechanical and electrical devices became useful throughout his scientific career. After completing his service, he returned to Cambridge for his final year, and he received his BA in physics in 1948. The war had completely diminished his interest in physics, particularly on the horrors of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki" title="Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki">atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki</a>. He therefore joined Cambridge University to become the first PhD student in a newly formed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laboratory_of_Molecular_Biology" title="Laboratory of Molecular Biology">Laboratory of Molecular Biology</a>, then a small Medical Research Council MRC unit founded by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Perutz" title="Max Perutz">Max Perutz</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kendrew" title="John Kendrew">John Kendrew</a>, who supervised him. (The LMB was then a small "hut" near the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavendish_Laboratory" title="Cavendish Laboratory">Cavendish Laboratory</a>.) He was initially given X-ray analysis of proteins, but he turned to muscle. (The protein study was given to the other student <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Crick" title="Francis Crick">Francis Crick</a>, of the eventual DNA fame.) From there he earned hi PhD in 1952 in molecular biology. For his thesis titled Investigations in Biological Structures by X-Ray Methods. The Structure of Muscle, he used low-angle, X-ray scattering of live muscle fibers.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Esmor_Huxley#cite_note-9">[9]</a>

Max Perutz

Attachments