GB 0100 KCLCA McClare - McCLARE, Dr Colin William Fraser (1937-1977)

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0100 KCLCA McClare

Title

McCLARE, Dr Colin William Fraser (1937-1977)

Date(s)

  • c1957-1981 (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

10 boxes

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

McClare was born in 1937 and educated at Felsted School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he read natural sciences, specialising in chemistry. He undertook research at Cambridge on the chemistry of free radicals in biology as a Medical Research Council student, 1958-1961, and on energy transfer in nucleic acids as a Beit Fellow, 1961-1963, and was awarded a PhD in 1962. He was Lecturer in Biophysics at King's College, London, 1963-1977. From his growing interest in bioenergetics and the problems of muscle contraction he concluded that classical thermodynamics was inadequate for the description of biological processes, and that the application of the Second Law of Thermodynamics to biological machines required the introduction of time scales. His ideas were not generally accepted and although he wrote extensively on the subject his papers were not accepted for publication until four controversial papers appeared in the Journal of Theoretical Biology and Nature, 1971-1972. These generated a vigorous correspondence with scientists all over the world. McClare's unorthodox views failed to gain the approval of established scientific opinion. He took his own life at the age of thirty-nine, 1977.

Archival history

Received for cataloguing at the Contemporary Scientific Archives Centre (later National Cataloguing Unit for the Archives of Contemporary Scientists, University of Bath) in 1979 from Mrs Gill McClare, widow, and the Biophysics Department, King's College London.
GB 0100 KCLCA McClare c1957-1981 Collection (fonds) 10 boxes McClare , Colin William Fraser , 1937-1977 , biophysicist

McClare was born in 1937 and educated at Felsted School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he read natural sciences, specialising in chemistry. He undertook research at Cambridge on the chemistry of free radicals in biology as a Medical Research Council student, 1958-1961, and on energy transfer in nucleic acids as a Beit Fellow, 1961-1963, and was awarded a PhD in 1962. He was Lecturer in Biophysics at King's College, London, 1963-1977. From his growing interest in bioenergetics and the problems of muscle contraction he concluded that classical thermodynamics was inadequate for the description of biological processes, and that the application of the Second Law of Thermodynamics to biological machines required the introduction of time scales. His ideas were not generally accepted and although he wrote extensively on the subject his papers were not accepted for publication until four controversial papers appeared in the Journal of Theoretical Biology and Nature, 1971-1972. These generated a vigorous correspondence with scientists all over the world. McClare's unorthodox views failed to gain the approval of established scientific opinion. He took his own life at the age of thirty-nine, 1977.

Received for cataloguing at the Contemporary Scientific Archives Centre (later National Cataloguing Unit for the Archives of Contemporary Scientists, University of Bath) in 1979 from Mrs Gill McClare, widow, and the Biophysics Department, King's College London.

Given by Mrs McClare to King's College London in 1981.

Papers of Colin William Fraser McClare, c1957-1981, comprising biographical and autobiographical material; laboratory notebooks c1964-1976; 'ideas' diaries; drafts for lectures and papers (not all published) c1959-c1976; teaching material, in particular for a course on the 'Social Impact of the Biosciences' which started in 1973, with which McClare had been closely involved; a set of McClare's publications including his major papers on bioenergetics and the correspondence arising; correspondence, 1964-1976 (mainly early 1970s), includes letters exchanged with the philosopher Sir Karl Raimund Popper, who offered considerable encouragement to McClare's early attempts to formulate and publish his scientific ideas, and whose philosophy McClare acknowledged as a profound influence.

Biographical and personal; Notebooks and working notes; Scientific drafts and publications; Talks, lectures and conferences; Teaching material; Scientific correspondence.

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Director of Archive Services
English

This collection description and detailed catalogue available online. Also, 'Catalogue of the papers and correspondence of Colin William Fraser McClare' by the Contemporary Scientific Archives Centre (CSAC 77/1/81, 30 pp), later the NCUACS, University of Bath, from whom copies are available. Includes index of correspondents.

Compiled by Rachel Kemsley as part of the RSLP AIM25 project. Source: 'Catalogue of the papers and correspondence of Colin William Fraser McClare' by the Contemporary Scientific Archives Centre (CSAC 77/1/81), later the NCUACS, University of Bath. Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997. Jan 2001 Biophysics Diaries Documents Higher science education Information sources Learning methods Literary forms and genres Literature McClare , Colin William Fraser , 1937-1977 , biophysicist Nonfiction Popper , Sir , Karl Raimund , 1902-1994 , Knight , philosopher Practical work (learning method) Primary documents Prose Teaching materials

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Given by Mrs McClare to King's College London in 1981.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Papers of Colin William Fraser McClare, c1957-1981, comprising biographical and autobiographical material; laboratory notebooks c1964-1976; 'ideas' diaries; drafts for lectures and papers (not all published) c1959-c1976; teaching material, in particular for a course on the 'Social Impact of the Biosciences' which started in 1973, with which McClare had been closely involved; a set of McClare's publications including his major papers on bioenergetics and the correspondence arising; correspondence, 1964-1976 (mainly early 1970s), includes letters exchanged with the philosopher Sir Karl Raimund Popper, who offered considerable encouragement to McClare's early attempts to formulate and publish his scientific ideas, and whose philosophy McClare acknowledged as a profound influence.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Biographical and personal; Notebooks and working notes; Scientific drafts and publications; Talks, lectures and conferences; Teaching material; Scientific correspondence.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Director of Archive Services

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

This collection description and detailed catalogue available online. Also, 'Catalogue of the papers and correspondence of Colin William Fraser McClare' by the Contemporary Scientific Archives Centre (CSAC 77/1/81, 30 pp), later the NCUACS, University of Bath, from whom copies are available. Includes index of correspondents.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

King's College London College Archives

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area