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Edward Novitski: Drosophila Virtuoso

2006; Oxford University Press; Volume: 174; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1534/genetics.104.65953

1943-2631

James F. Crow, Dan L. Lindsley, John C. Lucchesi,

Chromosomal and Genetic Variations

EDWARD Novitski, 1918–2006, was the acknowledged master of that special art of manipulating chromosomes during what Lucchesi (1994) called “the age of Drosophila chromosome mechanics.” Following the Sturtevant tradition, his guiding principle was to derive as much information as possible from breeding experiments with minimum use of direct cytological examination. Nobody could perform this kind of chromosome manipulation as well as Ed and he relished new challenges. (Novitski's closest friends and relatives, especially in later years, called him Eddie, a name he seems to have preferred. Those, such as ourselves, whose acquaintance extends over many years, knew him as Ed, which we shall adopt here.) He continued this kind of work long after the development of microbial and molecular genetics had carried the field in new directions. Another side of Novitski was a love of pranks and practical jokes, which were indeed clever, sometimes diabolically so. He reached what must be the pinnacle of achievement in this rarified atmosphere, for his reputation was such that pranks that he never carried out were attributed to him nonetheless. He admired Richard Feynman, a physics genius who also enjoyed such things as safe cracking, bongo drums, and practical jokes. Both men took great pleasure in “finding things out” and shared highly creative minds and a love of pranks. Fortunately, Ed completed an autobiographical memoir not long before his death (Novitski 2005). He was unusual; so, naturally, the book is unusual. It has four main sections. The first is “Fun and Games,” a series of anecdotes and practical jokes. The first prank is his most famous, perpetrated on Herschel Roman. Ed manipulated the seminar clock to run slowly so that Herschel, after finishing his talk, seemed to have an embarrassingly long period of time remaining to be filled. His attempts to extricate himself make an amusing story. The second part of Ed's book is the story of his own life. The third is his account of the rift between Alfred Sturtevant and Theodosius Dobzhansky. Novitski had the unique vantage point of having been successively a student of each of them, and he is clearly in Sturtevant's corner. The fourth part is titled “The Pleasure of Finding Things Out.” It recounts some of his most interesting intellectual challenges. The book is as idiosyncratic as Ed himself, a mixture of deep science, anecdotes, intellectual depth, and whimsy.