Arthur Galston
Encyclopedia
Arthur W. Galston was an American botanist
and bioethicist
who, as a graduate student at the University of Illinois, discovered the defoliant
properties of a chemical that was subsequently studied and utilized by the United States Army
. His research and 1943 Ph.D. dissertation were focused on finding a chemical means to make soybean
s flower
and fruit
earlier. In the early 1950s, biological warfare
scientists at Fort Detrick
, Maryland
, began investigating defoliants based upon Galston's discoveries eventually producing the controversial toxic defoliant Agent Orange
which was used by the U. S. Air Force
for defoliation in Southeast Asia
during the Vietnam War
.
s flower
and fruit
earlier. He discovered both that 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) would speed up the flowering of soybeans and that in higher concentrations it would defoliate the soybeans. He was drafted into the U.S. Navy
as an enlisted man and ultimately served as Natural Resources officer in Naval Military Government on Okinawa until his discharge in 1946.
In 1951 biological warfare
scientists at Fort Detrick
, Maryland
began investigating defoliants based upon Galston's discoveries with TIBA, eventually producing the toxic defoliant Agent Orange used by the U. S. Air Force
for defoliation in Southeast Asia
during the Vietnam War
. During this time, Galston taught as an associate professor at the California Institute of Technology
before moving to Yale University
where he taught from 1955 onwards.
Beginning in 1965, Galston lobbied both his scientific colleagues and the government to stop using Agent Orange. Galston and U. S. geneticist
Matthew S. Meselson
appealed to the U. S. Department of Defense
to investigate the human toxicology
of Agent Orange. The research conducted by the Department of Defense led to the discovery that Agent Orange caused birth defects in laboratory rat
s. In 1971 this information led to U. S. President Richard M. Nixon banning the use of the substance. Galston made numerous trips to Vietnam
and China, including, with Ethan Signer of MIT, as the first American scientists invited to visit the People's Republic of China
. In 1971, he met Chou En-lai, then Prime Minister, as well as King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
, who then resided in Shanghai
.
After his retirement as a biologist in 1990, he became affiliated with Yale's Institution for Social & Policy Studies, where he helped to found the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics. He also taught bioethics to Yale undergraduates. In 2003-2004 his introductory bioethics course attracted 460 students, making it one of the most popular courses in Yale College.
Galston authored more than 300 papers on plant physiology and co-edited two books on bioethics.
He also co-founded the Gray Is Green: The National Senior Conservation Corps, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping older Americans lead more sustainable lives.
He died in 2008 in Hamden, Connecticut
.
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and bioethicist
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
who, as a graduate student at the University of Illinois, discovered the defoliant
Defoliant
A defoliant is any chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause its leaves to fall off. A classic example of a highly toxic defoliant is Agent Orange, which the United States armed forces used abundantly to defoliate regions of Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1970.Defoliants differ...
properties of a chemical that was subsequently studied and utilized by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. His research and 1943 Ph.D. dissertation were focused on finding a chemical means to make soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
s flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
earlier. In the early 1950s, biological warfare
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
scientists at Fort Detrick
Fort Detrick
Fort Detrick is a U.S. Army Medical Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland, USA. Historically, Fort Detrick was the center for the United States' biological weapons program ....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, began investigating defoliants based upon Galston's discoveries eventually producing the controversial toxic defoliant Agent Orange
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
which was used by the U. S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
for defoliation in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Biography
Galston's research and 1943 Ph.D. dissertation focused on finding a chemical means to make soybeanSoybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
s flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
earlier. He discovered both that 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) would speed up the flowering of soybeans and that in higher concentrations it would defoliate the soybeans. He was drafted into the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as an enlisted man and ultimately served as Natural Resources officer in Naval Military Government on Okinawa until his discharge in 1946.
In 1951 biological warfare
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
scientists at Fort Detrick
Fort Detrick
Fort Detrick is a U.S. Army Medical Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland, USA. Historically, Fort Detrick was the center for the United States' biological weapons program ....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
began investigating defoliants based upon Galston's discoveries with TIBA, eventually producing the toxic defoliant Agent Orange used by the U. S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
for defoliation in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. During this time, Galston taught as an associate professor at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
before moving to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he taught from 1955 onwards.
Beginning in 1965, Galston lobbied both his scientific colleagues and the government to stop using Agent Orange. Galston and U. S. geneticist
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
Matthew S. Meselson
Matthew Meselson
Matthew Stanley Meselson is an American geneticist and molecular biologist whose research was important in showing how DNA replicates, recombines and is repaired in cells. In his mature years, he has been an active chemical and biological weapons activist and consultant...
appealed to the U. S. Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
to investigate the human toxicology
Toxicology
Toxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
of Agent Orange. The research conducted by the Department of Defense led to the discovery that Agent Orange caused birth defects in laboratory rat
Laboratory rat
A laboratory rat is a rat of the species Rattus norvegicus which is bred and kept for scientific research. Laboratory rats have served as an important animal model for research in psychology, medicine, and other fields.- Origins :...
s. In 1971 this information led to U. S. President Richard M. Nixon banning the use of the substance. Galston made numerous trips to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and China, including, with Ethan Signer of MIT, as the first American scientists invited to visit the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. In 1971, he met Chou En-lai, then Prime Minister, as well as King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, who then resided in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
.
After his retirement as a biologist in 1990, he became affiliated with Yale's Institution for Social & Policy Studies, where he helped to found the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics. He also taught bioethics to Yale undergraduates. In 2003-2004 his introductory bioethics course attracted 460 students, making it one of the most popular courses in Yale College.
Galston authored more than 300 papers on plant physiology and co-edited two books on bioethics.
He also co-founded the Gray Is Green: The National Senior Conservation Corps, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping older Americans lead more sustainable lives.
He died in 2008 in Hamden, Connecticut
Hamden, Connecticut
Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant." Hamden is home to Quinnipiac University. The population was 58,180 according to the Census Bureau's 2005 estimates...
.
Other sources
- Galston, Arthur W. (1972), "Science and Social Responsibility: A Case History", Annals of the New York Academy of SciencesAnnals of the New York Academy of SciencesThe Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences is an academic journal published by the New York Academy of Sciences. It is one of the oldest science journals, being founded in 1823....
; 196:223.