A citizen court in the recombinant DNA debate.

The article examines the unprecedented interaction between scientists and the public that took place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from August 1976 to January 1977. The controversy started when anxiety developed over the renovation of a biological laboratory at Harvard University. Scientists were planning recombinant DNA molecule experiments that required a special containment facility based on the newly issued guidelines of the National Institute of Health. Local citizens convened a citizen court to advise the city council on whether the guidelines offered were sufficient protection to the community.