JBS Haldane

Though as a student I never quite liked biology as a subject and did not subscribe to socialist ideals either I was immensely inspired by JBS Haldane. His quotes are memorable.

In his decompression chamber experiments, he and his volunteers suffered perforated eardrums, but, as Haldane stated in What is Life, "the drum generally heals up; and if a hole remains in it, although one is somewhat deaf, one can blow tobacco smoke out of the ear in question, which is a social accomplishment."

“My body has been used for both purposes during my lifetime and after my death, whether I continue to exist or not, I shall have no further use for it, and desire that it shall be used by others. Its refrigeration, if this is possible, should be a first charge on my estate”.

Shortly before his death in 1964, the irrespressible Haldane wrote an outrageous comic poem while in the hospital, mocking his own incurable disease:
“Cancer's a Funny Thing:
I wish I had the voice of Homer
To sing of rectal carcinoma,
Which kills a lot more chaps, in fact,
Than were bumped off when Troy was sacked…”

It was circulated among his friends, who savored the consistently witty irreverence with which Haldane had lived his courageous and productive life.

Sources:
1. Wikipedia
2. http://www.stephenjaygould.org/people/john_haldane.html