Archibald Garrod and the Individuality of Man

Students of biology learn that Archibald Garrod (1857-1936) advanced the concept of inborn errors of metabolism through brilliant insights into patients with rare genetic diseases. Garrod’s two other prescient concepts are often overlooked: (1) the concept of the chemical uniqueness of the individual, which prefigured the modern appreciation of individual predisposition to disease; & (2) the concept of the physician-scientist, which prefigured the modern revolution in biomedical research. All three concepts are brought into sharp focus in this incisive biography, written devotedly by Alexander G. Bearn, a disciple whose own career is based firmly on the Garrodian tradition. Illustrations.