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GU I D E to Y E L L OW S P R I NG S | 2O22 – 2O23 39 Part of the solution also involves an ethical approach to science, “which is missing,” in large part, said Clark, “from the teaching of science.” As an undergraduate at Antioch, he said, he was schooled well in ethics. “There were more required courses in the arts for science majors than there were for arts majors,” he said. What he learned led him later to turn down a lucrative offer to work on the Manhat - tan Project, which led to the development of the first atomic bomb. “When I figured out what the project was about, I real - ized I couldn’t survive in that atmosphere,” he said. After graduating from col - lege in 1941, Clark studied for a post doctorate degree at the University of Rochester. His doctorate in steroid hormones followed up on his adolescent interest in the effects of testos - terone on behavior. He returned to Antioch in 1944 as assistant professor of biochemistry and research associate and chair of the Fels Research Institute’s biochem - istry department. His work there over the next 14 years produced manifold accom- plishments. Among them were identification of angiotensin, the molecule that causes high blood pressure; development of the artificial kidney and the establishment of normal values for blood chemistry in children. Most notable among Clark’s inventions was the bubble defoam oxygenator heart-lung machine. First developed in 1949, the heart-lung machine allowed the cardiology team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to perform the first open-heart surgery in 1952. The machine took unoxygenated blood from the heart, oxygenated it and returned it to the body. It’s initial development took place in the kitchen of the Clark family home, growing out of his work in isolating the angiotensin molecule. “I made a thing at home out of cellophane and canning jar rubbers hoping to create a vacuum to pull the hyperten- sion molecule through,” he said. From that, he “got the idea for the heart lung machine.” Much invention takes place in kitchens and garages, said Clark, adding that he didn’t consider himself an inventor for a long time. “There’s a kind of thought, ‘Boy, I’d hate to get caught doing this kind of thing,’” he said. He was encouraged and supported in all he did by his wife, Eleanor, whom he met and married while both were students at Antioch. “She’s absolutely critical in this whole thing,” he said. The two had four children — Susan, Joan, Linda and Becky — all of whom attended Yellow Springs schools. Clark was also responsible for the invention of the Clark oxygen electrode, also devel - not correct.” Clark was an avid reader: he perused, for instance, about 1,000 different scientific journals — and questioned constantly what he read. In the lab, he put facts to the test. Through science, he said, his faith in the world was constantly established and invigorated, and it [grew].” Clark likened the creative process behind art and music to that which fuels scientific discovery. “It’s all the same thing,” he said. “It comes from almost some biological force.” Young people, he believed, are naturally scientific in their curiosity about the world. But most schools, he said, “just beat it out of them.” As a result, science is viewed by many as a dry and unexciting discipline, lacking relevance to daily life. For Clark, its relevance extends far beyond the beakers and test tubes of the labora- tory. “Science has to be a sub- stantial part of any educational system in a democracy,” he said. The scientific process, with its challenging and ques- tioning, “is part and parcel of the Bill of Rights, of freedom of speech and thought. It’s impor - tant to the actual survival of the human spirit of democracy.” Where scientific exploration is controlled and restricted, “what takes over is ignorance, oppression and abolition of free speech,” Clark said. “I think as soon as we have lost the sci- entific process in a democracy, we have lost the democracy.” It’s true, he added, that sci - entific progress has unleashed its share of ills upon the world, but that same progress can help correct what has gone wrong. “The only way to dig our way out is through science,” he said. “We can’t kill the messenger. We have to use him to help us” find solutions. “The more knowledge you have, the easier it is to sort it out.” ▲ Following the invention of his platinum electrodes, Clark conducted a famous experi- ment on “liquid breathing,” in which a blood substitute could allow a living mouse to breathe in the liquid. Most of the animals that were immersed in the fluid for up to an hour survived for several weeks, before eventually succumbing to pulmonary damage. S U B M I T T E D P H O T O Our Network = Your Net Gain Call us today! 937-381-9799