A historical perspective of research on the biology of aging from Nathan W. Shock.

This article describes some of the thoughts and the conceptual framework from which Nathan W. Shock prepared his last major presentation. This paper, written some 8 months following Dr. Shock's death on November 12, 1989, is based upon his extensive notes and discussions with one of the authors (George T. Baker). This presentation in no way is meant to encapsulate the long and distinguished career of Nathan Shock, but rather to provide a glimpse of his perspectives on the development of the field of aging. Furthermore, we believe that the scientific principles concerning aging research laid out by Dr. Shock in this publication are still valid today and may provide valuable insights for researchers in the field.