“By weaving threads of physics, chemistry and biology into a rich tapestry, this remarkable scientist provided a unifying molecular view of the world... He touted the wonderful properties of Vitamin C first as a cure of common cold and later as a preventive agent against cancer.” One of science’s major figures of all time referred to above is

The quotation describes Linus Carl Pauling. Pauling merged physics, chemistry, and biology to create a unifying molecular perspective—his work applying quantum mechanics to chemical bonding and founding aspects of molecular biology revolutionized the chemical and biological sciences [1]. In later life he became a vigorous public advocate of high-dose vitamin C, promoting it first as a remedy for the common cold and subsequently as a preventive/therapeutic agent for cancer, authoring popular books such as Vitamin C and the Common Cold and Cancer and Vitamin C that propagated these claims [2]. His fame as both a preeminent chemist and a controversial health advocate matches the description in the question [2].

Sources

1. [1] https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/about/linus-pauling-biography
2. [2] https://www.nasonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pauling-linus.pdf