A couple of weeks ago, In the Pipeline had a thread about the most "realistic depiction of a research chemist in some sort of popular entertainment". Sili chipped in with Lorenzo's Oil, which has both Augusto Odone's rather impassioned explanation of fatty acid synthesis and best of all, the depiction of a chemist, in the twilight of his career, purifying erucic acid (the titular oil of the movie.)
Don Suddaby was the chemist that did that remarkable work and he was asked to play himself in the movie. Mr. Suddaby worked for Croda International in the UK. According to an article by Steve Herman in Global Cosmetic Industry*:
Suddaby was a chemist with extensive experience in fatty acid chemistry. Within four months, working around the clock, Suddaby (who plays himself in the movie) prepared a liter of oil. The oil stabilized Lorenzo's condition, and more oil was needed both for Lorenzo and for other boys suffering from ALD.
The synthesis process was deemed too difficult for production of the needed quantities, and Croda tried a simpler composition, which proved even better than the previous oil... The details of the extraction and purification of Lorenzo's Oil can be found in the patent issued to Suddaby and Coupland, which is remarkably readable for a legal document.The movie portrayal of Suddaby (YouTube, part 10, 4:21) is rather lovely (I love the closeup of a seemingly working distillation later in the film) and a nice write-up of his character is in a recent article by Xconomy's Stewart Lyman contrasting the current movie portrayal of the pharmaceutical industry with that in Lorenzo's Oil.
Mr. Suddaby appears to have passed on in 1993; I'm pleased that (thanks to Hollywood), we have some acknowledgement of his contribution to human health and also a very nice portrayal of a chemist on film. Now, if only we could get some more...
*Cosmetics & Compassion. By: Herman, Steve, Global Cosmetic Industry, 15239470, Jan2001, Vol. 168, Issue 1
Why do we need "very nice" portrayals of chemists? Wouldn't portraying them as they are be of more benefit in the long run? How about this portrayal: You go to sporting goods store to buy an inexpensive bike to commute to work ($120). One day you leave work with it, and there is Ph.D. Columbia Kemist standing at the gate with his 178-speed. He sees your bike and sniffs "Is that YOUR bike? This isn't my good bike. My good bike is at home, IT COST $1000."
ReplyDeleteNow THAT's an accurate portrayal of a chemist.
Just came across this whilst showing a friend of mine clips of the late Don Suddaby,Not impressed about the way he is being written about,i knew this man for a number of years & he was in fact a very nice man,with a loving family,who i hope do not get to read this as i have done.
DeleteI confess to not knowing what to say to that; true, chemists are no more or less materialistic than any other professional.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, Mr. Suddaby's portrayal is both realistic and "nice" in that it shows chemists using their skills and knowledge to help people. I believe that's worth something.
Ok, I'll rant one more time in explanation. The point
ReplyDeleteI didn't make clear wasn't that some chemists are
materialistic, it's that they pretentiously claim
to be involved in the pharmaceutical industry to
"save/improve lives" (or maybe just make better
hair tonic...) and wear their degrees and their
"pedigree" (a pretentious idea in itself) like
a saint's halo, when in fact many of them are
simply covetous, mindlessly competitive anti-intellecuals
who ridicule anything they don't understand and
who have never read a book they didn't have to
for a course, put down any commentary if it isn't
"peer reviewed" while simultaneously following
idiotic diet books, all the while never recognizing
the two or more compartments in their heads that
aren't communicating with each other. It's the
hypocrisy I was getting at. An accurate
portrayal of pharmaceutical chemists would show
them as evil in a comically petty and idiotic way,
for example: the chemist who sold an outdated 25Mhz
computer worth basically nothing to one of the union
workers for $400, then comes into the lab and claps his hands
and says gleefully "Hahaha, I fool(sic) him!"
What does this have to do with a chemistry job blog? These
people I've described are not only a drag to be around, the
are company lifer mediocrities, taking up space when genuine
intellectuals can't get a job.
It sure was nice of the company to let an old man who
is just hanging around for retirement and can barely move
work on that silly life-saving project wasn't it? And is
sure was great that none of the younger chemists volunteered
to help, wasn't it? ("Why would I work on that? There's no
cash bonus for it.") But I'm sure once he succeeded, a
bunch of people down the hall wanted their name on the paper!
No relation to the preceding Anonymous Poster.
ReplyDeleteHey Anonymous, chillax. Did you ever believe that the chemical industry was free of mediocre sycophants and schemers who relied on their academic pedigrees to gain employment? Besides, if you view your coworkers with such disdain, keep your interactions with them professional. If you want to find some truly arrogant, anti-intellectual, & sanctimonious "scientists", try dealing with MDs at a top-tier medical school.
I think I'd rather socialise with chemists than the anonymous person who views them with such disdain.
ReplyDeleteOooh, that hurt. What's next, you're going
ReplyDeleteto tell me that I'm not worthy to breed
because I don't play on the chemistry
department softball team? I think I'd rather
socialize with chemists than an anonymous
person who would rather socialize with chemists
than another anonymous person who disdains
CERTAIN HYPOCRITICAL CHEMISTS.
Sounds like 'anonymous #1' has been dumnped by chemist. Can't blame the chemist, mind, he sounds like a total wanker.
ReplyDeleteI like sausages, with egg, bacon and brown sauce. My local chemist helps me choose my required medicine as and when I need it. I'm for team chemist!
ReplyDeletei'm with all the positive comments on chemists and believe they deserve recognition like any other life aiding profession!!
ReplyDeletekris suddaby (yes,mr suddabys G.son)
Don suddaby has a close named after him in hull there is also a road called lorenzo way these both are to do with the man and the oil he made they are in same little housing estate with a plaque to remember his work that helped do better for some people
ReplyDeleteWithout chemists there would not be life............
ReplyDeleteDon Suddaby was my Research director at Smith and Nephew Research at Gilston in the late sixties. Without doubt a brilliant scientist, a good boss, but more importantly a great man, whose encouragement kept me in research for the next 30plus years.
ReplyDeleteAll movies should portray chemists as mean people because I met a mean chemist once.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the above argument at the top of the comments section. I was really drunk and an arsehole.
ReplyDeleteMr.Suddaby did a great and compassionate thing by distilling the erucic acid.
ReplyDeleteThat is all that needs to be said.
Well done!
Brilliant chap! if only there were rather more Don Suddabys in the World.
ReplyDeleteI was upset that Big Ben was in the background of his Hull office.
ReplyDelete