The Would-Be Saint's Battle over Down Syndrome

The Disappearing Spoon: a science history podcast with Sam Kean

Sam Kean

Arts, Books, History

4 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After scientists had a handle on how many chromosomes humans have, other researchers began exploring whether certain ailments might be caused by chromosomal abnormalities. To this end, a French cardiologist discovered that Down syndrome was caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in humans. But a colleague stole credit for her work, and the battle over their legacies continues to this day, in part because the colleague is on track to become a certified Catholic saint.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The talk did not start for hours.
0:05.1	So the organizers were confused to see two guests arrive,
0:08.8	especially because they were not scientists.
0:11.9	They were law enforcement agents, bailiffs,
0:15.2	and they had cameras and microphones,
0:17.6	along with a court order to record the upcoming talk.
0:21.6	The year was 2014 in Bordeaux, France.
0:25.3	An 88-year-old cardiologist named Marta Gautier was receiving an award and giving a talk on her
0:31.5	role in discovering the cause of Down syndrome.
0:34.5	The lecture organizers asked why on earth the bailiffs had court orders to record the
0:39.6	talk. The men answered that there were rumors that Gautier would be libeling someone during the talk,
0:45.5	her former colleague Jerome Lejeune. In fact, the bailiffs demanded to look at the slides that
0:51.6	Gautier planned to show during the talk.
0:58.3	And in going through them, they pointed out several that they deemed libelous.
1:01.8	By this point, the conference organizers were panicking.
1:04.0	Would they be allowed to hold the talk?
1:08.1	The bailiffs insisted, yes, they did not want to censor anything.
1:14.2	At the same time, they added darkly, if Gautier libeled Lajune, even slightly,
1:19.1	the 88-year-old grandmother would face the full theory of the law.
1:31.3	From the Science History Institute, this is Sam Keane and The Disappearing Spoon,
1:37.9	a topsy-turvy, sciencey history podcast, where footnotes become the real story.
1:46.7	Marta Gautier was born in 1925, the fifth of seven children to farmers in rural France.
	...

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