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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Blood Collection from the American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus Polyphemus
Published on: October 13, 2008
Collecting true blue blood: a journey to the heart of 1960s biology
1Collegium Helveticum UZH/ETH Zurich, STW, Schmelzbergstr. 25, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland. gisler@collegium.ethz.ch
Abstract:
Mabel Boyden was a biologist, active in the field of immunochemical research and also a custodian of the Serological Museum at Rutgers University between 1948 and 1974. Her recollection of a trip to obtain the blood of the horseshoe crab is revealing: it contains figures of speech that give a glimpse into the immunological discourse of the mid-1960s; it shows how her thinking was torn between different ways of doing biology; and it offers an insight into the transition of biology into the modern, molecular era.
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