Linus Pauling: his discoveries on vitamin c
American chemist, physicist but also pacifist, Linus Pauling (1901-1994) was undoubtedly an extraordinary character. Beyond being one of the rare people to have received not one but two Nobel Prizes – the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 – he was known throughout the world for his work on vitamin C. Work which earned him the nickname “Pope of Vitamin C”!
What role did Linus Pauling play in popularizing vitamin C?
You would think that Linus Pauling studied vitamin C in depth throughout his life! But it was not until the mid-1970s – more than 10 years after receiving his second Nobel Prize – that Pauling became truly interested in vitamin C.
Inspired by the work of Irwin Stone, in 1973 he co-founded the Linus Pauling Institute of Medicine, a research institute devoted to “orthomolecular medicine”. This pseudoscience suggests that an optimal intake of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, trace elements, essential amino acids) makes it possible to fight against the majority of mortality factors in industrialized countries such as cancer.
He also declared on this subject:
“I am fascinated by the idea that these substances, which we generally take in tiny doses, could have favorable effects on health when we ingest quantities 100 to 1000 times higher. To my surprise, I found a large amount of evidence to support the idea that large doses of vitamins could be clinically useful. »
Considering vitamin C as one of the most important of these molecules, he came to consume nearly 3 grams per day in order to find physical and mental balance.
Although he had until then been praised by the scientific community of the time thanks to his Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Einstein himself recognized the genius of the American scientist!), this position on vitamin C raised an outcry general in the pharmaceutical and medical sphere. Many American academics denounced the ineffectiveness of the treatment.
However, through works and experiments, Linus Pauling managed to rally a large number of scientists, specialist doctors and naturopaths to his cause.
The debate sparked by this exceptional scientist has the merit of highlighting all the complexity of the queen of vitamins.
