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De-trainer
From the Writings of George E. Burch De-trainer Many pseudoinvestigators exploit and destroy potentially able investigators. To discourage inadequate assistants and felIows is to favor science, but to dissuade able ones is to smite research. The investigator who expounds repeatedly at meetings on the accomplishments in his laboratory but who contributes little to the program and has little understanding of the research of his assistants should be censured. He who has contributed nothing more than his local or national prestige and "power" should be Fully censured and completely ignored, for he is insincere, be it conscious or unconscious. Nothing good can be derived from the "barker" in research. Success in research is not measured in terms of quantity of data or papers read and published. Correction of misconceptions and undesirable practices would provide a tonic to research. An able research assistant with potentialities of a good investigator usually needs training but would not associate long with the inadequate investigator. On the other hand, impatience and desire for rapid advancement can destroy the able beginner. Remember, advancement, opportunities, and independence in research are inevitable rewards of good work leisurely and thoughtfully performed. The duration of assistantship
cannot he designated arbitrarily, but the time of "ripening" becomes evident to everyone, manifested, above all, by generating of ideas, planning and conducting of experiments, and analysis of data. Failure to achieve independence at the proper time can result only in exploitation of his superior's talents, deterioration of his own, or both. The scientific environment can be particularly cruel, brutal, and blunt, even in evaluation of research personnel, hut decisions must he objective. The able investigator provides an environment conducive to research and thought of high quality only, an atmosphere intolerable to the incapable hut nourishing to the creative, patient investigator of any level. The unknown is so extensive, the known so limited, the variables so numerous, the investigator so humble, and certainty so difficult that one never speaks authoritatively and conclusions are seldom drawn, humility and modesty prevailing ever in an atmosphere of meditation, knowledge, keen curiosity and experimentation and testing.
Creative Thinking Cannot be Bought
The Dilettante
Those who produce the idea, outline the objectives and organize the experiments by careful and meticulous thinking make the fundamental contribution. Creative thinking by a peaceful mind and absorbing interest cannot be bought; technologic thinking can . Others of ability who test, develop and engineer the program, and make fewer fundamental contributions, require technologic training and thought. Pructicallv alI clinicians are in this category; whether this be fortunate or unfortunate remains unknown .
The research director may be necessary in America today, but his responsibilities, accomplishments, and functions should be clearly delineated. Being a budgeteer and coordinator, he should be relegated to the administrative family of deans, finance officers, and public relations directors. He may have been, but in this capacity is no longer, an investigator, for the investigative atmosphere and creative scientific thought are too frequently replaced by self-promotion, committee activities, public relations, fund raising, self-propaganda and power politics . Burch GE: Of Research People. New York, Grune & Stratton, 1955
Burch GE: Of Research People. New York, Grune & Stratton, 1955
Burch GE : Of scientific thought. AMA Arch lnt Med 102 :8.'55, 19.'58
The Promoter The interested investigator is content with a modest laboratory containing the essential equipment and personnel for conducting an adequately managed program. The best performances and greatest discoveries emanate from solo investigators. Few investigators are able to work successfully with large research teams, and most of those who believe they can are primarily promoters. Purchased assistants, regardless of the type of remuneration, are not unlike the purchased chemists and ana to-
mists exploited by the clinicians of the dark past to supply the knowledge and effort in their program of training medical students. Research done by others or for . others is misrepresented research. Exploitation of assistants results in erroneous data or false acclamations of accomplishments for undeserving individuals. Burch GE : Of Research People. New York, Grune & Stratton. 1955
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cannot he designated arbitrarily, but the time of "ripening" becomes evident to everyone, manifested, above all, by generating of ideas, planning and conducting of experiments, and analysis of data. Failure to achieve independence at the proper time can result only in exploitation of his superior's talents, deterioration of his own, or both. The scientific environment can be particularly cruel, brutal, and blunt, even in evaluation of research personnel, hut decisions must he objective. The able investigator provides an environment conducive to research and thought of high quality only, an atmosphere intolerable to the incapable hut nourishing to the creative, patient investigator of any level. The unknown is so extensive, the known so limited, the variables so numerous, the investigator so humble, and certainty so difficult that one never speaks authoritatively and conclusions are seldom drawn, humility and modesty prevailing ever in an atmosphere of meditation, knowledge, keen curiosity and experimentation and testing.
Creative Thinking Cannot be Bought
The Dilettante
Those who produce the idea, outline the objectives and organize the experiments by careful and meticulous thinking make the fundamental contribution. Creative thinking by a peaceful mind and absorbing interest cannot be bought; technologic thinking can . Others of ability who test, develop and engineer the program, and make fewer fundamental contributions, require technologic training and thought. Pructicallv alI clinicians are in this category; whether this be fortunate or unfortunate remains unknown .
The research director may be necessary in America today, but his responsibilities, accomplishments, and functions should be clearly delineated. Being a budgeteer and coordinator, he should be relegated to the administrative family of deans, finance officers, and public relations directors. He may have been, but in this capacity is no longer, an investigator, for the investigative atmosphere and creative scientific thought are too frequently replaced by self-promotion, committee activities, public relations, fund raising, self-propaganda and power politics . Burch GE: Of Research People. New York, Grune & Stratton, 1955
Burch GE: Of Research People. New York, Grune & Stratton, 1955
Burch GE : Of scientific thought. AMA Arch lnt Med 102 :8.'55, 19.'58
The Promoter The interested investigator is content with a modest laboratory containing the essential equipment and personnel for conducting an adequately managed program. The best performances and greatest discoveries emanate from solo investigators. Few investigators are able to work successfully with large research teams, and most of those who believe they can are primarily promoters. Purchased assistants, regardless of the type of remuneration, are not unlike the purchased chemists and ana to-
mists exploited by the clinicians of the dark past to supply the knowledge and effort in their program of training medical students. Research done by others or for . others is misrepresented research. Exploitation of assistants results in erroneous data or false acclamations of accomplishments for undeserving individuals. Burch GE : Of Research People. New York, Grune & Stratton. 1955
228