[Comprehensive Biochemistry] Selected Topics in the History of Biochemistry Personal Recollections. VII Volume 42 || The Fraud of Abderhalden’s Enzymes**Nature 393, 109–111, 1998.In the two preceding papers Mülller-Hill mentioned Abderhalden’s “Abwehrfermente” in connection with the, say, “dubious” research of Verschuer and Mengele. This third paper by Müller-Hill recounts the story of these “defense enzymes” which, in fact, do not exist. The story is remarkable and instructive in more than one respect. It lasted more than half a century; it arose and was kept alive by a blend of self-deception and fraud. An overly authoritarial system (to put it mildly) is particularly prone to sustain this kind of false truths to the point of making them into a nearly untouchable myth. (The mileu in which Abderhalden opearated was perhaps congenial to his personality). But self-deception and fraud lurks in every scientific lab even now. Many of us know of junior collaborators who feared to face the disappointment or the anger of the powerful boss if he were to be told that his working hypothesis was not right, and began to make “a critical appraisal of the experimental data” – i.e. to “select the right experiments” – the first step towards outright forgery. As the Managing Editor of the FEBS Letters for nearly 14 years I was too often discouraged at seeing how fragile ethical behaviour can be. (Note of the Editor, GS)Reprinted by permission from Nature 393: 109–111. Copyright (1998) Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Benno, Müller-hill

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