Since the 1930s scientists from fields such as biochemistry, pathology, immunology, genetics, neuroscience, and nutrition have studied the relation of dietary caloric intake to longevity and aging. This paper discusses how Clive Maine McCay, a professor of animal husbandry at Cornell University, began his investigation of the topic and promoted it as a productive research program in the multidisciplinary science of gerontology. Initially, McCay observed the effect of reduced-calorie diets on life span and senescence while pursuing his nutrition research in the context of animal husbandry and agriculture. But when he received funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and started to participate in the establishment of gerontology during the 1930s, the scope of his research was considerably expanded beyond his original disciplinary domain. It became a multidisciplinary research program that attracted scholars from a variety of scientific and medical disciplines. This paper argues that through this expansion McCay's research created a means of maintaining cooperation among the diverse and heterogeneous academic fields constituting gerontology.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
February 2010
Research Article|
February 01 2010
Longevity, Aging, and Caloric Restriction: Clive Maine McCay and the Construction of a Multidisciplinary Research Program
Hyung Wook Park
Hyung Wook Park
Department of Philosophy, Durham University, 50 Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HN, United Kingdom; [email protected].
Search for other works by this author on:
Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences (2010) 40 (1): 79–124.
Citation
Hyung Wook Park; Longevity, Aging, and Caloric Restriction: Clive Maine McCay and the Construction of a Multidisciplinary Research Program. Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences 1 February 2010; 40 (1): 79–124. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/hsns.2010.40.1.79
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.