ABSTRACT
It is our aim in this volume to draw attention to the formation of particular strategic approaches in biology and medicine centred on molecules. These approaches became prominent in the interwar period and gained new momentum with the biomedical mobilization of World War II.1 The identification, production, circulation and uses of molecules in biological research and in the explanation and treatment of diseases created new links between the laboratory, the clinic and industry. We introduce the term “molecularization” to describe the creation and transformation of these alliances. By following molecules through different biomedical contexts and networks, the contributors to this volume provide a novel historical perspective on innovation in the biological sciences and medical practice.
