Overview

Hermann Joseph Muller (December 21, 1890 - April 5, 1967) was an American geneticist, educator, and Nobel laureate (1946) best known for his work on the physiological and genetic effects of radiation (X-ray mutagenesis) as well as his outspoken political beliefs. Muller frequently warned of the long-term dangers of radioactive fallout from nuclear war and nuclear testing, helping to raise public awareness in this area.

"In 1927, Hermann J. Muller demonstrated that X-rays caused mutations in male fruit fly germ cells (Muller 1927). Nineteen years later, he would be awarded the Nobel Prize for this finding. Muller took his discovery seriously, trying to determine not just what it meant scientifically but for society as well. In fact, soon after his discovery, he expressed strong concerns about the indiscriminate use of X-rays, challenging the medical community to be aware of the benefits and dangers that X-rays may provide (Carlson 1981). As a direct offshoot of this concern, follow-up research in Muller's laboratory assessing the nature of the dose-response for radiation-induced germ cell mutations supported a linear interpretation thereby suggesting that there was no safe dose no matter how low or apparently inconsequential." Edward J. Calabrese (2011)

References

• Hermann Joseph Muller - wikipedia
• Hermann Joseph Muller - Nobel Prize