French DNA: Trouble in Purgatory

In 1993, an American biotechnology company and a French genetics lab developed a collaborative research plan to search for diabetes genes. But just as the project was to begin, the French government called it to a halt, barring the laboratory from sharing something never previously thought of as a commodity unto itself: French DNA.

REVIEW QUOTES

"Rabinow's book introduces a dramatic personae that could fill the pages of a bio-tech corporate thriller."

"Part biography, part debate on medical ethics, even part ethnography of intercultural communication, the genre of this book . . . is an unusual mix of the personal/ethnographic with the political/scientific. . . . Throughout this complexity, Rabinow redefines (again) modernity and science."

"A fast-paced story of personalities and research organizations, interspersed with chapters delving into French history and politics to analyse how past events influenced current thinking and decision making. . . . The author has done an excellent job of marrying presentation of 'news events,' science, and philosophical analysis, and a book such as this is valuable for its cross-disciplinary insights."