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Doherty, P. C. The Beginner's Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize: A Life in Science, 320 pp. Columbia University Press, New York, 2006. $24.95. ISBN 0-231-13896-2.

In this quick, easy, and enjoyable to read book, Peter Doherty, an Honorary Member of the ACVP and the only veterinarian to have won the Nobel Prize, relates his experience as a scientist leading up to and subsequent to winning this coveted prize. The tongue-in-cheek title is quickly dispelled in the preface: "... the chance that buying this book will lead to a Nobel is as remote as the possibility that reading Jack Nicklaus's Golf My Way will result in winning the US Open." The book is not intended for trained scientists looking for in-depth information, but "the general readership that may not necessarily know much about, or even have sympathy for, the world of science." The book contains nine chapters and three appendices; the latter are reproductions of seminal research reports describing major histocompatibility complex-restriction of cell-mediated cytotoxicity, for which Peter Doherty and Rolf Zinkernagel shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996. The author presents his personal views on a diverse set of scientific, religious, and ethical issues using examples from his work in immunology, influenza, and AIDS/HIV and cites numerous corollaries to other Nobel Prize winners. The last chapter lists 18 dos and don'ts on what it takes to be an outstanding research scientist. While the individual points can be argued, there can be little disagreement with Doherty's assertion that "It involves a personal recognition that humanity advances by insight, discovery, and a capacity for serious effort and commitment." The reader is left with new respect for science and scientists, especially at the Nobel level. As Doherty concludes, "Nothing offers greater intellectual excitement than discovering something that no human being can ever have known before. Being able to live in a way that combines work with at least a measure of creativity is an immense privilege."

Dr G. Cockerell

Cockerell Alliances
Grand Junction, CO

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