Linus Pauling: Visionary Scientist and Advocate of Vitamin C

Linus Pauling (1901–1994) is remembered as one of the greatest scientific minds of the 20th century, uniquely honored with two unshared Nobel Prizes—one in Chemistry (1954) for his groundbreaking work on the nature of the chemical bond, and one for Peace (1962) for his tireless activism against nuclear weapons. Far from being a fringe thinker, Pauling’s brilliance in molecular biology and chemistry laid the foundation for modern biochemistry and structural biology, and his later investigations into Vitamin C emerged naturally from this deep understanding of molecules and health.

Pauling recognized that nearly all animals produce their own Vitamin C internally, synthesizing it from glucose in the liver, but that humans and other primates lack one crucial enzyme in this pathway. This genetic loss, he argued, occurred because early primates consumed fruit-rich diets abundant in ascorbic acid, making the ability to synthesize it unnecessary. The result is that humans are now conditionally dependent on dietary Vitamin C, and Pauling boldly suggested that most people live in a chronic, low-grade state of deficiency he called “sub-scurvy.” His idea of “bowel tolerance” was a practical method to determine how much Vitamin C each individual could optimally absorb, far beyond the minimal amounts needed to ward off scurvy.

Pauling’s collaboration with the Scottish oncologist Ewan Cameron in the 1970s further expanded his vision. Together, they published studies proposing that high-dose Vitamin C, administered both orally and intravenously, could improve quality of life and extend survival in certain cancer patients. While controversial and largely dismissed by mainstream, pharmaceutical-driven medicine, Pauling’s work opened new avenues for nutritional and integrative approaches to oncology. His books, including Vitamin C and the Common Cold (1970), Vitamin C and Cancer (1979, co-authored with Cameron), and How to Live Longer and Feel Better (1986), brought these ideas to the wider public and remain influential.

A vital part of Pauling’s Vitamin C journey was his interaction with other pioneering thinkers in nutrition. Irwin Stone, a biochemist, first introduced Pauling to the potential of Vitamin C in the 1960s, sending him papers and personal notes that sparked Pauling’s lifelong interest. Albert Szent-Györgyi, the Hungarian physiologist who had won the Nobel Prize for discovering Vitamin C in the 1930s, was also an inspiration and supporter. Roger J. Williams, another eminent biochemist (discoverer of pantothenic acid and developer of the concept of biochemical individuality), shared Pauling’s conviction that optimal nutrition was the cornerstone of human health. Together, these men formed a loose intellectual network pushing against medical orthodoxy and opening the door to nutritional therapeutics.

Pauling himself gave a name to this field—orthomolecular medicine—coining the term in 1968. By “orthomolecular,” he meant providing the body with the “right molecules” in optimal concentrations for health, rather than relying solely on synthetic pharmaceuticals. This idea tied together his conviction that genetics, environment, and nutrition must be understood at the molecular level to truly prevent and treat disease. Orthomolecular nutrition, controversial as it was, has since influenced integrative and functional medicine, and Pauling remains its most eloquent and persuasive advocate.

Importantly, Pauling practiced what he preached. He lived a long and highly productive life, remaining intellectually active into his 90s, publishing, lecturing, and continuing to advocate for peace and human health until his death in 1994 at age 93. His legacy stands as a testament to his courage in challenging orthodoxy, his profound scientific achievements, and his conviction that optimal nutrition—particularly Vitamin C—was central to human vitality and longevity.

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