Joshua Bandura

December 20, 2016

SBI 3U1
Are Watson and Crick Thieves?

The discovery of the double helix structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1953 is an

important part of the history of science. Watson and Crick worked together on studying the

structure of DNA. At the same time Wilkins and Franklin were using X-ray diffraction to study

DNA. Watson and Crick stole their findings to use in their own research. Watson and Crick

were more lazy and waited for the work to fall into their hands, while Wilkins and Franklin were

more hardworking and putting their all into their research. Are Watson and Crick just in what

they did? Absolutely not! They stole all their information and claimed it as their own in their

research of DNA.

On April 1953, they published the news of their discovery of the double helix. The

double helix is a molecular structure of DNA based on all its known features. The model in

which they created was meant to explain how DNA replicates and how genetic information is

coded on it. This set the stage for the rapid advances in molecular biology that continue to this

day. Watson, Crick and Wilkins shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962. Franklin had died in

1958 and unfortunately the prize could not be received. In order to receive a Noble Prize, you

must be alive. Crick and Watson both received numerous other awards and prizes for their

work. They stole this information and should have asked for permission to use it and also

should have gave Franklin credit. She did so much hard work, and the two lazy men stole it

from her to use it as their own work. Although she did not see the part of her notes she was

missing, it was written in her notes in her own handwriting and she would have figured it out

and noticed it eventually.

 Joshua Bandura
December 20, 2016
SBI 3U1
Watson and Crick may argue that they just used or borrowed her notes in order to

finish their model of the double helix, but with no credit towards her work they are not justified

for doing so. Franklins papers were stored in her personal office which Watson and Crick

intruded into and stole the papers and notes she had for this research. They did not have any

permission to do so. If they were given permission, and/or decided to work together with

Frankin and either credit her or put her name alongside theirs when it was submitted, this may

have been a different story. Just because they are men and she is a woman means nothing.

They are all scientists trying to figure out the model of DNA, and if Watson and Crick didnt take

her notes and see what she didnt notice, I believe that Franklin would have figured it out first.

Not only did Watson and Crick get credit for creating the double helix DNA model, but they also

won a Nobel Prize. Unfortunately, alongside of not getting any credit for doing so much work

towards the model of the DNA structure, Rosalind Franklin ended up passing away from cancer

from the exposure from radiation after being in the lab dealing with and using X rays. That is

just unfair. She did all the hard work for this project, she put her life in danger of cancer for

many years adnthe two men just come into the picture and take the finding of DNA out of her

hands. Overall, I strongly think that Franklin deserves credit and Watson and crick are not

justified in what they did. They stole her work and are thieves.