ABSTRACT
In 1868, the Swiss Biologist Friedrich Miescher isolated an acidic substance from the nuclei of pus cells in discarded surgical bandages. The material he referred to as ‘‘nuclein’’ is now known to be deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the genetic blueprint for life. Thus the discovery of nucleic acids and its revolutionary effects on molecular biology can be traced to a humble surgical by-product. Fifty years ago another biological revelation came as Watson and Crick exposed the double helix structure of nucleic acids (1). Today, with the entire human genome sequenced, DNA is moving out of the basic science laboratory and returning to the operating room with a great deal more fanfare, impacting surgery and patient care in ways that were inconceivable just a few decades ago.
