The Double Helix

by

James D. Watson

Jerry Donohue Character Analysis

Jerry Donohue was an American chemist and crystallographer who worked in the Cavendish Laboratory. When Watson hypothesized that DNA’s two strands could have the same sequence of nitrogenous bases, Donohue pointed out that Watson’s model was based on the wrong molecular structures for guanine and thymine. Watson emphasizes his debt to Donohue—without whom Watson and Crick would have never discovered the double helix structure.
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Jerry Donohue Character Timeline in The Double Helix

The timeline below shows where the character Jerry Donohue appears in The Double Helix. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 26
Research, Adventure, and the Thrill of Discovery Theme Icon
Scientific Collaboration, Competition, and Community Theme Icon
DNA and the Secret of Life Theme Icon
...developed for DNA. But a few minutes after Watson mailed the letter, the crystallographer Jerry Donohue explained that his new DNA structure was all wrong. Watson based his structure on molecular... (full context)
Research, Adventure, and the Thrill of Discovery Theme Icon
Scientific Collaboration, Competition, and Community Theme Icon
DNA and the Secret of Life Theme Icon
Back at his desk, Watson quickly realized that Donohue’s insight made his model impossible. Crick added that, if the two DNA strands had the... (full context)
Chapter 28
Research, Adventure, and the Thrill of Discovery Theme Icon
Scientific Collaboration, Competition, and Community Theme Icon
DNA and the Secret of Life Theme Icon
...silently studying Crick and Watson’s molecular model. Watson realized that if it weren’t for Jerry Donohue’s comment about the different forms of guanine and thymine, he never would have discovered the... (full context)