He is also a witty, scrupulous writer. In "The Ratchet of Science" he inquiries into the ambiguous blessings of medical-scientific progress. Drawing on the wide spectrum of fundamental and technical advances, Calne points to the social, human cost which these entail. The calm, at time ironic analyses which he presents make this little book a classic. It deserves the widest possible read ship." - George Steiner, Literary Critic, Essayist, Philosopher, Novelist, and Educator