DMSO
It was early 80’s. R, the head of the lab I was working in, was going to leave the clinic and go into the pharmaceutical industry. Before he left he was kind enough to find me work in the Genetic Institute. My new job was to help with calibration of the lasers used in cell sorting and write computer programs to evaluate the data.
In the last year working together we received a sponsorship from a biotech company to do some work for them. It wasn’t much money but it paid my salary at least. Well at the end of the year we had to go to their HQ and report our findings.
Unfortunately there were none, results that is. Nothing came of our research. We were both not that happy that we would have to present data before the board that said there product was, let's say, not up to their expectations.
On the morning of our trip to Hamburg I went to the Genetic to get the data from my office on the 3rd floor. When I arrived there was an unusually large crowd out front blocking the entrance (right in the picture). I recognised a few of them as staff and went over to ask what was up. It seems that some animal activists earlier that morning had emptied canisters of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in the entrance
on the ground floor.
They were protesting against the animal experiments that were being carried out in the institute! Actually there were no animal experiments going on in the Genetic, but in the Biochemistry Institute next door (the end of the building is left in the picture).
The activists had stink bombed the wrong institute!
No one was allowed to enter the building as the smell was horrible and could be harmful in the concentrations that had been spread around in the entrance.
I started to panic as our train was going in an hour. The smell would have dissipated by midday but that would be too late.
I had to get to my data.
I made my way to the entrance of the Biochemistry Institute at the other end of the building, entered and went into the cellar. I quickly ran the whole length back to the underground connecting door to the Genetic basement and with a handkerchief held to my face took a deep breath and ran the length of the building to the corresponding stairs at the other end.
The smell was now at least tolerable as I ran up to the 3rd floor. I backtracked to my office, grabbed my case with the data and retraced my steps back down, ran the whole length of both buildings and finally emerged out into the much needed fresh air. Fortunately I hadn’t met anyone in either Institute and so didn’t get into trouble.
As I met R at the train he remarked that I smelt heavily of garlic.
He only laughed when I told him why.
The trip to Hamburg was uneventful. We visited the company, gave up our report, indirectly apologised for not giving the results they hoped for and left. As it was late R said we would stay overnight at his parents' house and in the morning get the train back to Cologne.
We took a taxi to one of the most posh areas of the city. Their house turned out to be a mansion. We were welcomed, had an excellent meal with plenty of wine and were ‘entertained’ with stories from R’s father about his friend and colleague Albert Schweitzer.
All a little mind blowing for one day.
In the last year working together we received a sponsorship from a biotech company to do some work for them. It wasn’t much money but it paid my salary at least. Well at the end of the year we had to go to their HQ and report our findings.
Unfortunately there were none, results that is. Nothing came of our research. We were both not that happy that we would have to present data before the board that said there product was, let's say, not up to their expectations.
On the morning of our trip to Hamburg I went to the Genetic to get the data from my office on the 3rd floor. When I arrived there was an unusually large crowd out front blocking the entrance (right in the picture). I recognised a few of them as staff and went over to ask what was up. It seems that some animal activists earlier that morning had emptied canisters of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in the entrance
on the ground floor.
They were protesting against the animal experiments that were being carried out in the institute! Actually there were no animal experiments going on in the Genetic, but in the Biochemistry Institute next door (the end of the building is left in the picture). The activists had stink bombed the wrong institute!
No one was allowed to enter the building as the smell was horrible and could be harmful in the concentrations that had been spread around in the entrance.
I started to panic as our train was going in an hour. The smell would have dissipated by midday but that would be too late.
I had to get to my data.
I made my way to the entrance of the Biochemistry Institute at the other end of the building, entered and went into the cellar. I quickly ran the whole length back to the underground connecting door to the Genetic basement and with a handkerchief held to my face took a deep breath and ran the length of the building to the corresponding stairs at the other end.
The smell was now at least tolerable as I ran up to the 3rd floor. I backtracked to my office, grabbed my case with the data and retraced my steps back down, ran the whole length of both buildings and finally emerged out into the much needed fresh air. Fortunately I hadn’t met anyone in either Institute and so didn’t get into trouble.
As I met R at the train he remarked that I smelt heavily of garlic.
He only laughed when I told him why.
The trip to Hamburg was uneventful. We visited the company, gave up our report, indirectly apologised for not giving the results they hoped for and left. As it was late R said we would stay overnight at his parents' house and in the morning get the train back to Cologne.
We took a taxi to one of the most posh areas of the city. Their house turned out to be a mansion. We were welcomed, had an excellent meal with plenty of wine and were ‘entertained’ with stories from R’s father about his friend and colleague Albert Schweitzer.
All a little mind blowing for one day.
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