Overview

Writing the recent history of life sciences is an exciting but demanding undertaking. Some disciplines are emerging while others are disappearing; above all, they are now intertwined and overlapping, constantly shifting their boundaries. However, despite the resulting complexity, certain fundamental cross-disciplinary concepts continue to structure research, giving biology a coherent overall identity. History of Life Sciences and Medicine 3 takes a conceptual approach to history, aiming to reflect the contemporary constitution of the field of life sciences. It thus addresses some of the most representative concepts from a historical and epistemological perspective, for example, those that have particularly structured the field of life sciences since the 19th and 20th centuries. Ten key biological concepts are analyzed: the origin of life, evolution, the ecosystem, the cell, metabolism, the gene, development, immunity, the brain and pathology.

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Author:   Jean-Claude Dupont (University of Picardie Jules Verne (Amiens), France)
Publisher:   ISTE Ltd
Imprint:   ISTE Ltd
ISBN:  

9781789452105

ISBN 10:   1789452104
Pages:   304
Publication Date:   24 March 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Awaiting stock  
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Table of Contents

Presentation of Field ""History of Science"" xi Jean-Claude DUPONT Introduction: The Conceptual Scope of Life xiii Jean-Claude DUPONT Chapter 1. Theories for the Origin of Life in the 19th and 20th Centuries 1 Stéphane TIRARD 1.1. Introduction 1 1.2. Lamarck: animalization and permanent spontaneous generation 1 1.3. Pasteur and the abandonment of spontaneous generation 3 1.4. Darwin: lack of evidence and discreet comments 5 1.5. Abiogenesis: the transition from non-life to life 6 1.6. Panspermia: eternal and universal life 7 1.7. Oparin and Haldane: hypothetical scenarios for life's emergence on Earth 8 1.8. Prebiotic chemistry: an experimental model of primitive Earth 10 1.9. The RNA world and the first carriers of genetic information 12 1.10. The origins of life on Earth: a historical problem with no record and the need for cross-disciplinary approaches 13 1.11. Extraterrestrial life and the development of astrobiology 15 1.12. Conclusion 17 1.13. References 17 Chapter 2. The Reception of Evolutionary Theory in France 21 Olivier PERRU 2.1. Introduction 21 2.2. Darwin and biological evolution 23 2.3. The reception of Darwin's theory of evolution in 19th century France 26 2.4. Henri Bergson and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 30 2.5. The theory of evolution and French biologists in the early 20th century 33 2.6. The possibility of rejecting evolution 36 2.7. Conclusion 37 2.8. References 37 Chapter 3. The History of the Ecosystem Concept 39 Julien DELORD 3.1. Introduction 39 3.2. The origins of the term ""ecosystem"" 40 3.3. From the ecosystem concept to systems ecology 43 3.4. Ecosystem ecology as ""big science"" 45 3.5. The IBP's mixed record in developing ecosystem ecology 45 3.6. Shortcomings of the Odumian ecosystem paradigm 46 3.7. The contemporary ecosystem paradigm: ""the analysis of (self-organized) ecological networks"" 48 3.8. Disturbance ecology 50 3.9. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning 50 3.10. Conclusion and outlook 52 3.11. References 56 Chapter 4. The Cell: The Basic Structural and Functional Unit of Living Organisms 63 François DUCHESNEAU 4.1. Introduction 63 4.2. Schwann's cell theory 66 4.3. Holistic reinterpretations of Schwann's theory 70 4.4. Elementary organisms and protoplasmic individualities 77 4.5. Mitosis and meiosis revealed 80 4.6. The relativization and complexification of cell theory 84 4.7. References 86 Chapter 5. The History of the Metabolism Concept: From Its Beginnings to Maturity 89 Jean-Claude DUPONT 5.1. Introduction 89 5.2. The emergence of the metabolism concept 90 5.3. Biochemistry: the science of metabolism 97 5.4. The metabolism's golden age: cellular respiration 103 5.5. Conclusion: the evolution of molecular dissection methods and the revival of the metabolism 113 5.6. References 116 Chapter 6. The History of the Gene 125 Antonine NICOGLOU 6.1. Introduction 125 6.2. The prehistory of the gene 127 6.3. The gene in Mendelian genetics: the probabilistic gene 131 6.4. The gene in formal genetics: the statistical gene 137 6.5. The gene in molecular biology: the gene in DNA nucleotides 140 6.6. The gene and its surroundings: the genome 143 6.7. Conclusion: no longer ""life's destiny"", the gene as the ""future of biology"" 146 6.8. References 147 Chapter 7. Microcosm, Type and Individuation: Understanding Animal Development 151 Ghyslain BOLDUC 7.1. Introduction: development as the backbone of biological thought 151 7.2. The establishment of embryology as an autonomous and central morphological science 153 7.3. Darwinian reform of developmental history 156 7.4. The birth of experimental embryology 159 7.5. The rise of experimental embryology: gradients, organizers and fields 161 7.6. From embryology to developmental biology 164 7.7. Conclusion: questioning development through evolution, variation and individuality 174 7.8. References 176 Chapter 8. A Conceptual History of Immunology 183 Alfred I. TAUBER 8.1. Introduction 183 8.2. Historical antecedents 184 8.3. Two visions of immunity 186 8.4. The immune self 188 8.5. Immunology and ecology 191 8.6. Systems biology 194 8.7. Conclusion: on identity 196 8.8. References 198 Chapter 9. Human Brains: Representations, Explorations and Stimulations 203 Mathilde LANCELOT 9.1. Introduction: the brain as a timeless object of research 203 9.2. Opening up the brain: explorations, motivations and instruments 205 9.3. Stimulating the brain: electricity, mapping and implants 212 9.4. Conclusion: the brain as a ""social phenomenon"" 216 9.5. References 218 Chapter 10. Modern Medicine and the Sciences: A History of Ruptures 223 Mathieu ARMINJON 10.1. Introduction: two ruptures 223 10.2. The history of medical rationality as told by key events 225 10.3. Historiographical rupture and the medical revolution 234 10.4. Conclusion: a critical history of medical rationality 242 10.5. References 244 List of Authors 249 Index of Things 251 Index of Names 255 Summary of Volume 1 263 Summary of Volume 2 269

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Jean-Claude Dupont is Professor Emeritus of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Picardie Jules Verne (Amiens), France. He is a specialist in the history of life sciences and medicine.

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