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A House of Proteins
My ENTIRE PROFESSIONAL CAREER in biomedical research has centered on
protein. Like an invisible leash, protein tethered me wherever I went,
from the basic research laboratory to the practical programs of feeding
malnourished children in the Philippines to the government board-
rooms where our national health policy was being formulated. Protein,
often regarded with unsurpassed awe, is the common thread tying to-
gether past and present knowledge about nutrition.
The story of protein is part science, part culture and a good dose of
mythology. I am reminded of the words of Goethe, first brought to my
attention by my friend Howard Lyman, a prominent lecturer, author
and former cattle rancher: "We are best at hiding those things which
are in plain sight." Nothing has been so well hidden as the untold story
of protein. The dogma surrounding protein censures, reproaches and
guides, directly or indirectly, almost every thought we have in biomedi-
cal research.
Ever since the discovery of this nitrogen-containing chemical in 1839
by the Dutch chemist Gerhard Mulder, protein has loomed as the most
sacred of all nutrients. The word protein comes from the Greek word
proteios, which means "of prime importance."
In the nineteenth century, protein was synonymous with meat, and
this connection has stayed with us for well over a hundred years. Many
people today still equate protein with animal-based food. If you were to
name the first food that comes to mind when I say protein, you might
say beef. If you did, you aren't alone.
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