- William Summerlin
William T. Summerlin is a
dermatologist who, as amedical research er, perpetrated a notoriousscientific fraud .In 1974 Summerlin worked under
immunologist Robert A. Good at theMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center inNew York City , conducting research in transplantation immunology. He claimed that he could transplant tissue from unrelated animals by keeping the tissue in culture for four to six weeks. He used whitemice with patches of black fur which he had colored with a blackpermanent marker .In
1974 , Summerlin was discovered when he made a presentation to Dr. Good; lab assistants noticed that the patches had been drawn on the mice and could be removed usingalcohol .Summerlin later attributed his deceptive behavior to a combination of mental and physical exhaustion, a heavy clinical and experimental workload, and pressure to publicize positive results. [ [http://www.ebmonline.org/cgi/content/full/224/4/211 The Evolution of the "Scientific Misconduct" Issue: An Historical Overview] by Marcel C. LaFollette, "Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine" 224:211-215 (2000)] Memorial Sloan-Kettering president Dr. Lewis Thomas said that Dr. Summerlin was suffering from a "serious emotional disturbance." [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,911353-1,00.html The S.K.I. Affair (Contd.)] , "
Time magazine ",June 3 ,1974 ] After the incident, Summerlin reportedly moved to ruralLouisiana to practice medicine. [Where are they now?, by Paroma Basu. "Nature Medicine " 12, 492 - 493 (2006). Published online: 27 April 2006]As a result of the Summerlin incident, the term "painting the mice" has become a synonym for research fraud. [ [http://www.onlineethics.org/CMS/research/resessays/cw2.aspx Truth and Trustworthiness in Research] , by Caroline Whitbeck, Online Ethics Center at the
National Academy of Engineering ] Author Joseph Hixson wrote a book about the scandal entitled "The Patchwork Mouse". [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,879645,00.html?iid=chix-sphere Skin Deep] , review of "The Patchwork Mouse", "Time magazine ",March 8 ,1976 ]References
Further reading
*Joseph R. Hixson. "The Patchwork Mouse." Anchor Press, 1976. 228 pages. ISBN 978-0385028523
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