Linus Pauling was among the greatest minds of the 20th Century. As a two-time Nobel Prize winner, he’d be immune to dumb ideas, right? Right?
Born in 1901 Oregon, Pauling grasped the synergies among chemistry, biology, and quantum physics. Inventing the science of molecular biology, he cracked the code of sickle-cell anemia. His work on chemical bonds and the structure of molecules and crystals won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1954. Then he helped prove the horror of nuclear fallout, convincing both the U.S. and Soviet Union to ban above-ground nuclear testing. That won him the Nobel Peace Prize. Are we impressed yet? Dr. Pauling could tackle the hardest puzzle, then frame an elegant theory for it. He even made submarines safer.
I’ve said only the dumb ideas of smart people change the world. Well in 1971 Linus Pauling claimed that megadosing Vitamin C prevents and treats the common cold. Supplements flew off the shelves even as other scientists found nothing. The evidence just wasn’t there, but Pauling’s faith in Vitamin C never wavered. I won’t mention his recommended intake, but it was below the 20 grams he took himself. That’s like 285 oranges daily! Don’t try this at home.
Fifty years later, Dr. Hideo Yamasaki says a diet rich in raw fruits and leafy-greens produces nitric oxide, which can inactivate coronaviruses like the cold and Covid-19. But it requires chewing that spinach and grapefruit, not tablets or injections. He doesn’t say how strong the effect is, but a balanced diet, not megadosing, seems best for the immune system. Now I admire and respect the vast contributions of Dr. Linus Pauling. But like all great thinkers, now and then he had a stinker.
I’m Jeff Gentry
Best reference:
Hideo Yamasaki, Hideyuki Imai, Atsuko Tanaka, & Joji M. Otaki. (2023). Pleiotropic Functions of Nitric Oxide Produced by Ascorbate for the Prevention and Mitigation of COVID-19: A Revaluation of Pauling’s Vitamin C Therapy. Microorganisms, 11(2), 397.
Dumb Ideas that Changed the World copyright 2025 by Jeff Gentry. All rights reserved.
