Successful Theory Development in Biology: A Consideration of the Theories of Oxidative Phosphorylation

The chemiosmotic theory is normally attributed to Peter Mitchell's formulation published in Nature in 1961. However, the essential elements of the theory were published 9 years earlier by Davies and Krebs. Why, then, was this earlier formulation overlooked? The success of Mitchell's theory is examined in comparison with those of Davies and Krebs and of Williams. KEY WORDS: Chemiosmotic theory; proton translocation; history of biochemistry; theory formulation