NEWS IN PHYSIOLOGICAL
SCIENCES
By Word of Mouth
in the ever-increasing
journals. Although trivial
torrent
of
papers are
all too numerous, I believe that the
average quality of papers today is
better than ever before.
It happened
to me again!
It has hap-
only
pened many times before; in fact, it
happens over and over again.
The
other
day a colleague
told
effort,
if at all,
I
ac-
Next month, in July, several thou-
the
sand physiologists
will meet at the
forthcoming
International
Congress
by word of
of Physiological Sciences in Vancou-
mouth, in contrast to the effort of
extracting
the same information
ver, Canada. This assembly of colleagues from all around the world is
from the journal literature.
a unique opportunity
A friend
for communi-
needed. In a few minutes he had
explained it all to me. How simple it
or colleague, even a casual acquaintance at a scientific meeting, can in a
cation, for inspiration
and stimulation,
for transmission
of new
was to understand his main idea, the
few minutes open our eyes to new
novelty of his work, the excitement
of new information
and insight.
problems and their solution, add to
our understanding
and insight. This,
thoughts and ideas. Casual encounters as well as meetings with old
Then I reflected,
as I have many
friends
will
give us more than we
I believe, is the great value of per-
would ever be likely to obtain from
times in the past. What is the probability that I would have read about
sonal contacts.
Not that the scientific
the printed literature, if for no other
reason, because of its immense bulk.
this interesting research in the jour-
unnecessary-
nal literature? Would it be published
in a journal I would be likely to pick
umenting
formation.
up? Would the title attract my atten-
ently
tion? And most importantly,
would
I understand
the paper? Probably
effort on it; that is, if to begin with I
knew or suspected that my effort
new. At the closing of the last International
Physiological
Congress in
1983 1 used, from a loo-year-old
issue of the journal Nature, the following quote: “Few students of science
would be rewarded.
can fail to feel appalled by the ever-
To grasp a novel concept there is
no need for us to see the original
data, the documentation,
the graphs,
and tables. The excitement is in the
idea, the insight, not in more information. How grateful we can be that
a friend or colleague in a few minutes can transmit
what we could
increasing flood of literature devoted
to science and the difficulty of keeping abreast,” and “new societies, new
journals,
new independent
works
start up at every turn, until one feels
inclined to abandon in despair.” This
was in 1883, and now, a century
not, unless I spent much time and
literature
is
it is essential for doc-
and recording factual inIts immense size, appar-
ever
increasing,
is nothing
The Vancouver
PregnancyFrom Photon
Congress is the
Thirtieth International
Physiological
Congress. Three years from now, in
1989, the next Congress will be held
in Helsinki
on the invitation
from
our colleagues in Finland. It so happens that the 1989 Congress wiI1 be
the Centenary of the first International Physiological
Congress, held
in Base1 in 1889. These International
Congresses are, I maintain, one of
the most productive channels in existence for intellectual
communication among our colleagues from all
fields of physiology.
Knut Schmidt-Nielsen
later, there is no sign of abatement
In Forthcoming
Issue
A Challenge to Water Balance
Kerstin Olsson
to Receptor
Potential: The Biochemistry
Helen R. SaibiJ
Lithium Clearance:
KJaus Thomsen
Downloaded from http://physiologyonline.physiology.org/ by 10.220.33.6 on June 18, 2017
information
great
ease of communication
me
about his work. I needed a bit more
explanation,
and he briefly gave
me the background
with
quire on our own.
This brings us to my point,
of Vision
A New Research Area
and Mogens Schou
Eggs Affect the Activity
of Spermatozoa
Lawrence
/. Dangott
and David L. Garbers
Volume
l/June
1986
NIPS
85