Stacke-Dunne, Dr Michael

The following is an interim description which may change when detailed cataloguing takes place in future:

The archive contains the following:

Correspondence with scientific colleagues from UK (incl. Lea and Boris Cercek) and overseas regarding the 'Structuredness of the Cytoplasmic Matrix' test, plus reprints of research papers relating to the test, c.1950s-1970s

Material on the ethics and philosophy of scientific research including committee papers and correspondence from the UK-based Committee on Publication Ethics and the United States Office of Research Integrity, 1990s-2000s

1950s-2000s

Uncatalogued: 5 transfer boxes, 17 cassette tapes and 1 CD-R

Given to the library at Wellcome Collection by Dr Michael Stack-Dunne, September 2008.

Dr Michael Stack-Dunne was born in 1923. After taking his BSc at the University of London, he worked as a research chemist under Professor FG Young in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 1949-1954 and as a research fellow in the Department of Physiology, Yale Medical School, 1954-1956. During this work he developed a particular interest in pituitary hormones. Dr Stack-Dunne subsequently worked at the Medical Research Council (MRC) National Institute for Medical Research, Department of Biological Standards, 1956-1972, the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Department of Biochemistry, 1972-1974, and the MRC Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow, 1974-1982.

While at the MRC, Dr Stack-Dunne worked on validating research methodologies. In particular, he worked in the 1970s on validating the Structuredness of the Cytoplasmic Matrix (SCM) methodology developed by Lea and Boris Cercek as the basis for a diagnostic test for cancer. The SCM test attracted major attention and funding from the Cancer Research Campaign and MRC inter alia. The MRC attempted to determine whether the SCM test technology was repeatable but was unable to reach a conclusion, and eventually ceased to fund research on the methodology. As a result of his work on research methodologies, Stack-Dunne developed an ongoing interest in documenting the ethics and philosophy of scientific research.

There is a small amount of correspondence from Michael Stack-Dunne in the archives of Francis Crick (PP/CRI) and Sir John Gaddum (GC/213)

This collection is currently uncatalogued and cannot be ordered online. Requests to view uncatalogued material are considered on a case by case basis. Please contact collections@wellcomecollection.org for more details.