CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC ASPECTS OF STUDIES ON BACTERIAL VIRUSES

MY GREAT pleasure in addressing this body stems in no small part from the fact that this occasion is almost the first indication I have had in 10 years that others besides my immediate chiefs at the Children's Hospital know why I am in a Department of Pediatrics. As many of you are aware, I am a biochemist. It is apparently a surprise to others of my profession that infectious disease is a problem of concern to both pediatricians and biochemists. This attitude, reflecting a tacit belief that the job of a biochemist is to study some esoteric compound, its origin or its fate, rather than chemical aspects of a clearly defined biologic problem is widely prevalent and can be a serious deterrent to the solution of many important medical problems. This is true in the sense that this view affects the general problem of uniting theoretic and practical work. I recall attending the dedication of a virology laboratory last year in which the guest speaker paid tribute to the contributions of research scientists who solved problems in the process of satisfying their intellectual curiosity, as well as to contributions of the research physician who undertook to solve the more practical aspects of the control of disease. It did not seem to have occurred to the speaker that a research scientist might be interested in doing more than titillating his neurones. And of course, in many instances, the speaker was unfortunately correct, since practicality is often viewed as only the unworthy illegitimate child of science, rather than merely as its natural offspring.