A thought on Herberts idea that we secretly work on MCA projects....
Many years ago, I had a thought-provoking conversation with Arthur
Guyton, a distinguished cardiovascular physiologist and author of the
most popular medical physiology text of all time.
Arthur was a pioneer in the arena of physiological modeling. His book,
Cardiac Output and its Regulation, is the prototype for bringing
mechanistic modeling to any area of human physiology.
But what Arthur said to me needs to be heard by all who hope to use MCA
or any other modeling approach while doing biology for a living.
He said, "I am a closet modeler. I use models all the time, they help
me design the best possible experiment, and then I tell the study
section about the experiment." In other words, you, as a modeler, have
an extraordinarily powerful secret weapon. But you have to realize that
the operative word is "secret".
Once you have done the experiment that makes them gasp, then I would
hope you'd publicize the role modeling played in getting you there. But
be careful not to proselytize, Arthur Guyton's Past President's Address
at the American Physiological Society, made so many people angry that
physiological modeling is now stuck in separate-but-equal status in all
the journals of the American Physiological Society.
*Show* them the power. Then let them beat a path to your door.
Regards,
Bob
--
Robert D. Phair, Ph.D. rphair at ix.netcom.com
BioInformatics Services http://www.webcom.com/rphair
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