Lords of the Fly

"One of the most productive of all laboratory animals, Drosophila has been a key tool in genetics research for nearly a century. At the center of Drosophila culture from 1910 to 1940 was the school of Thomas Hunt Morgan and his students Alfred Sturtevant and Calvin Bridges, who, by inbreeding fruit flies, created a model laboratory creature - the 'standard' fly. By examining the material culture and working customs of Morgan's research group, [the author] brings to light essential features of the practice of experimental science. [This book] takes a broad view of experimental work, ranging from how the fly was introducted into the laboratory and how it was physically redesigned for use in genetic mapping, to how the 'Drosophilists' organized an international network for exchanging fly stocks that spread their practices around the world"--Back cover.