Linus Pauling & Common Cold

I read the book 'Vitamin C and Common Cold', a little booklet (about 99 pages) in 1970. I was impressed at that time. However, I always think balance diet is a reasonable habit to follow that includes the food supplement like vitamin C and fish oil. In fact, I tried taking 500 mg of vitamin C per day for about a few months and found that it seemed help a little bit but I am not convinced it is all due to vitamin C. Since then, I only take vitamin C when I get cold or just feel that I might get cold. Christine never believes the myth of vitamin C and she doesn't take vitamin C even when she gets cold. My experience is that she and I get flu shot every year and we get the cold almost every year and pattern is about the same, no matter how often and how much vitamin C I take. It is also not true to say that there is no side effect like going to restroom more often for relief. In general, it is not good to kidney if you take too many pills everyday. This is just common sense.

提到 Pauling, 就想起了一些往事,在這 NTUEE64 的 Blog 上面,寫有関他的一些事是很恰當的. CC and AhMo 談了半天,卻沒提到在大一時我們用的'普通化学'課本正是鲍先生的大作. 那時大家沒錢買原版書,居然有中文譯本,倒是一大福音. 我覺得這本書寫得很好,可是葉炳遠教授教得太差,他每堂課一個人在教室內從左走到右,又從右走到左,一边走一边把粉筆剝下来,碎碎片片,一堂課下來,像下了一場雪一樣. 這使我想起以前在動物園看到一隻北極熊在它的圈內,從左到右來回走了半小時,也不累也不管有多少人在看它,人生真有趣. 葉教授最差的是居然有時要來一個小 quiz without notice. 這和教大一國文的黄得時教授一樣,會在班上點名. 那個教授在上課前點名或時而來個小 quiz,一定是自己心虧,怕没人捧他場. 我一直以為葉炳遠是日本學院出身的,可是後來發現在畢業纪念冊上,他寫的是Research Fellow, California Institute of Technology.

當初考联考我把化學系填在电机系之後. 換句話說,如果三民主義考得更差,我現在是 retired chemist. 這也是我常說的'混沌效應',再度發揮作用. 說來可笑,原来还是化学把我'推出來',我不敢說把我'救出來'. 因為我在联考六個科目中,以化学考得最好 (物理考得很差),完全把三民主義的不及格分数補回來. 很多人常說 '人生有緣',這怎应說都不能 apply 到我這個例子. 我有緣在化學上有這麼大兴趣,居然就這樣的無緣上化学系,我是靠'化学'上了'电机系',也因此 miss 了'化学系', 然乎,不然乎? 當然這是比較狹義的解說,光是'電解'這科目,就把电机和化學合為一体,法拉弟就靠這题目出了一陣名而他的 boss Humphrey Davy 更是利用电解 (electrolysis) 發現了一些新元素,包括鈉,鉀, calcium, strontium, barium, magnesium, boron...等等. 你也許會問你既然那麼喜欢化學,為什应不把化學系填在电机系之前, logic? 是有 logic,每個人都不一樣. 我是因為興趣不少,高一念生物就想進生物系,高二念化學就想上化学系,高三念物理就想考物理系,可是要命的是高三最後一學期,物理念到电磁學,當然就想上电机系了. 這些完全不在我的計劃當中,祇能用'水到渠成'來解釋. 當年 1960 联考, 土木系最低分 428, 物理系 427, 电机系 417, 化学系 405, 所以十來分就決定你的未來和一生. 好多人对不能解釋或不能预测的事皆歸上帝,我是以理學出發,以理性看事,大自然的混沌效應是我的歸宿.

話說回来,鲍先生的化學書我很欣賞,來美後,我修了一些材料課程 Metal and Semiconductor, 化學滿管用的,花了不少錢買一本'College Chemistry' by Linus Pauling, 花了一些時日研讀一番,稍表对 Pauling 的一些 respect. 這時念鲍先生的化学和高中的吳冶民或顧均正的教科書不一樣,已经没有小時想的那麼 romantic, 完全是 Scientific and Technical 优先. 時隔多年,既然 CC and AhMo 提起鲍先生,我很恭敬的把這本書從書架上抽出來,再翻一下,果然也查到 Vitamin 一欄,這次發現他在五零年代时祇說 vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 祇要 60 mg/per day 就夠了,和他後來七零年代的 1000-10,000 mg 简直是有天壤之別. 我個人觉得 鲍林和罗素先生皆是一世英才,值得敬佩和學習. 可是在他們年纪上八十後,所作所為開始有點偏差,忘掉他們的本行和最有能力的學區, 而想在別的方面一發長才,殊不知就像 Peter Principle 說的, "You are promoted to the position which you are not competent". 在職場裏大家都知道這 mishap, 可是一些名人,老了腦力開始退化,而他們也許不知,还老當益壯,實在可惜. 不过人生人生,我們應該对他們多多包容,不能对他們要求过高. 人皆如此, Grow Old gracefully and then Fade Away nicely.

Some quotes from Pauling:

(1) Satisfaction of one's curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.

(2) You can't have good ideas unless you have lots of ideas. 

(3) Facts are the air of scientists. Without them you can never fly.

I bought the book and engraved my name on it. 

Physical Chemistry/Chemical Physics

Vitamin C required: 60 mg / day

PS: After reading the quotes from Pauling and observing the myth of his vitamin C, we start to realize that the life is indeed a many-splendored thing.