Re: Medical Research


"Herman Rubin" <hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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In article <3hqbg.4145$x4.3431@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
george conklin <george@xxxxxxx> wrote:

"Herman Rubin" <hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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In article <mGWag.654$SX5.171@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
George Conklin <georgeconklin1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Herman Rubin" <hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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In article <Wgtag.3211$y4.1569@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
George Conklin <georgeconklin1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Herman Rubin" <hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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In article <0AW9g.4721$u4.672@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
George Conklin <georgeconklin1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Herman Rubin" <hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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.....................



With basic research, we are literally exploring in the dark;
if we were not, it would not be basic research. I suggest
that you look up the origin of the word, "serendipity".


At some point Herman many of the long-term diseases will be
understood
but not right now, for sure. So treatments seem marginal, like 3% over
10
years being counted as a 'victory.'

Some of the marginal treatments seem to be doing at least
a fair job. Type 2 diabetes is one of them, and a fair
proportion of the population has it for decades and does
not do that badly. The same is true for many of the
thyroid diseases. And ONE treatment has enabled most
Type 1 diabetics to live most of a full normal lifespan.

But to ever get that understanding of these diseases, it
will be necessary to do basic research, much of which will
not be related at all to those diseases or to any others.

True but then who is going to support basic research these days?
Everything is related to marginal improvements on existing technologies.
Can you imagine a vaccine being declared a victory if it prevented 3% of
deaths in 10 years?

We have to get the government out of controlling
universities. It will have to be done carefully and
gradually, or the whole system will go bust.

Officially, they are doing no such thing. But they control
so much of the funding of the universities that it amounts
to control. Before WWII, the American research universities
supported research from their funds, either legislative
appropriations or foundational money. Also, those funds
went into supporting education; tuition is now a MUCH larger
proportion of the educational budget than it was before
federal support. About 25% of Purdue's budget comes from
designated federal funding.


This touches only a few disciples Herman. In the past, Chemists, for
example, had about 5% of majors but wanted huge amounts of the academic
budget which was otherwise generated by low-cost English and other similar
programs. When sociologists wanted computers to crunch census data,
administrations complained that we also were there to subsidize 'hard'
sciences and how dare we need computers? What about a piece of chalk every
5 years? They were pretty serious about that too.


Initially, the government supported research because
they had found out that researchers could do practical
things better than practitioners. Until about 1970,
they poured more money into the universities than the
good researchers could use. The political upheaval
cut this back.

In the past, if a noted Professor X wanted to get a
graduate student, or some equipment, the university
which did not heed the request was in danger of losing
the scholar. Now, the answer is to try to get the
money from the government granting agency; the feds
essentially control it. And politics gets in; if
one state gets "too much" of this federal money,
because it has the good universities, it is less
likely to get a grant than a department in a state
university where the state does little research, but
has one third-rater who can do some.


Some what? If you don't get results, you don't get renewed.



So we need to set up the concept of a research
university, allow them to set up research funds which
cannot be used for anything else, and which can keep
up the level of their courses even if the students
hate it and have a high failure rate.

Well, that happened anyway. That is why we have to import our
scientists. The research universities turn out few majors these days. Most
science majors seem to come from 1. foreign nations, 2. smaller
undergraduate insitutions where they don't get chased out.


We will have
to provide tax breaks for those who fund this, and
keep the "government watchdogs" out of it. Proxmire
gave his "golden fleece" awards to many important
research projects, and he did it under Congressional
immunity. I was berated by the granting officer for
the title of one of my papers, "Occam's Razor Needs
New Blades," which of course had noting to do with
razor blades of any kind.

Maybe he thought, "Schick Razor Needs New Blades" would have been
etter? -:)



I could go on; many basic courses in mathematics and
statistics are essentially not given, or not taken by
many, because they are not directly applicable. Even
if not applicable at all, they often clarify concepts.

Basic science will solve illness. But is not the human genome project
basic science Herman? We are well beyond what one person can do alone after
he/she finishes the chemistry lecture and 18 hours in the classroom.


.

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