In 1958, Framcis Crick summarized the then dimly perceived relationships
among DNA, RNA, and protein in a flow scheme he described as the
_central_dogma_ of molecular biology:  DNA directs its own replication and
its trasncription to RNA which, in turn, directs its translation to
proteins.
	The peculiar use of the word "dogma", one definition of which is
a religious doctrine that the true believer cannot doubt, stemmed from
a misunderstanding.  When Crick formulated the central dogma, he was
under the impression that "dogma" meant "an idea for which there was no
reasonable evidence".
		---"Biochemistry", 2nd ed. Voet and Voet. (pg915)
		Mon Mar 18 01:26:12 CST 1996



central dogma:ÊHorace Judson Freeland quotes Francis Crick talking about
the central dogma "Nobody tried to go from protein sequence back to nucleic acid,
because that just wasn't on. You see. But I don't think it was ever discussed.
... Jim, [Watson] you might say, had it first. DNA makes RNA makes protein.
That became then the general idea. ... what are all the possible information flows?"
[Freeland asked why he had called it the central dogma?] "It was because, I think,
of my curious religious upbringing. Because  Jacques [Monod] has since told me that
a dogma is something which a true believer  cannot doubt!" Crick laughed.
... "But that wasn't what was in my mind. My mind was, that a dogma was an idea
for which there was  no reasonable evidence. You see?!" And Crick gave a roar of
delight. "I just didn't know what dogma meant. And I could just as well have called
it the "Central Hypothesis" - you know. Which is what I meant to say. Dogma was just
a catch phrase.Ê ... And it's a negative hypothesis, so it's very very difficult to
prove.... The central dogma is much more powerful [than Crick's sequence hypothesis],
and therefore in principle you might have to say it could never be proved. But its
utility - there was no doubt about that. Because if you didn't believe that, you could
invent theories, unlimited theories, whereas if you just put in that one assumption,
... then, essentially you were on the right track you see." ... "In looking back I am
struck not only by the brashness which allowed us to venture powerful statements of
a very general nature, but also by the rather delicate discrimination used in selecting
what statements to make. Time has shown that not everybody appreciated our restraint"

[HF Judson, Eighth Day of Creation Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 1996 pp. 333-334]ÊÊ