Maurice Wilkins 1916 - 2004

Adapted from an obituray and tribute from King's College, University of London

The Third Man of the Double Helix

Nobel Laureate Wilkins, played an important role in the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, the molecule that carries our "life code". He was awarded the prize in 1962 with Francis Crick and James Watson; their co-discoverer was Rosalind Franklin.

Professor Wilkins' death comes just two months after that of Francis Crick. His autobiography, The Third Man Of The Double Helix, was published last year.

James Watson, the only scientist involved in the DNA project who is still living, said in a statement: "Wilkins was a very intelligent scientist with a very deep personal concern that science be used to benefit society. This started in his early days, when he witnessed the atrocities of war, and continued through his life. He will be sorely missed."

Vital role

Born in New Zealand in 1916, Professor Wilkins, who studied at St John's College, Cambridge, used X-ray diffraction techniques to probe the structure of DNA. In landmark studies that he undertook at King's College London (KCL) in 1950, Wilkins' group obtained images of DNA that were of unprecedented clarity.
This galvanised the belief of the young American geneticist, Jim Watson, that the emerging X-ray data would allow the mystery of life's code to be unravelled.

The success of Crick and Watson in elucidating the DNA structure is universally known and acknowledged. But its complete dependence on the results obtained first by Professor Wilkins and then, critically, by the brilliant experimentalist Rosalind Franklin, is still commonly overlooked.

Intensely private

Maurice Wilkins was an intensely private and self-effacing man who was much loved by colleagues and students. "Maurice was a central figure in one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the twentieth century, but his extreme modesty allowed others to share the prize," said Matt Ridley, author of Nature Via Nurture.

"It was he who first obtained an X-ray image of DNA, he who taught Francis Crick about DNA, his photograph that inspired James Watson, and his suggestion that led to the recruitment of Rosalind Franklin to Kings College. "And later, it was he who finally proved the double helix correct."

Maurice with Ray Gosling, Alec Stokes and Herbert Wilson on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the double helical structure of DNA. The photo is taken with the model which has been placed outside the lab on Drury Lane to be near the plaque on the building to commemorate the place where much of the x-diffraction work on DNA was done.

Lord May, the president of the Royal Society, the UK's academy of science, commented: "We are all greatly saddened to learn of the death yesterday of Maurice Wilkins. While Watson and Crick have rightly been recognised across the world for their contribution, the roles of Wilkins and Franklin, which were crucial, have not always been fully acknowledged outside the scientific community."