Impact of Basic Sciences on Medicine

IMPACT OF BASIC SCIENCES ON MEDICINE. Edited by Benyamin Shapiro and Moshe Prywes. New York, Academic Press, 1966. vi, 328 pp. $14.95. This Symposium was held in Jerusalem in June 1965 to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Hebrew University and the dedication of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School. The title of this book is misleading. The effect, the role and the problems of basic science in medicine are not discussed or approached. In fact, the book is a compilation of many learned discussions of isolated areas of basic research presented at a sophisticated and high-powered level, including studies of enzyme activities, regulation of cell function, membrane biochemistry, etc. These are straight-forward scientific reports that do not deal with the impact of basic research on the contemporary medical scene. The opening lecture by Dr. W. B. Bean, entitled "The Implications of the Contemporary Scientific Revolution on the Education of Teachers of Medicine," is the only section dealing with the problem. This brief essay redefines the many problems facing contemporary medical education in its attempt to deal with the growing body of knowledge and to communicate it to the medical student. Once again we are told that there is a knowledge explosion and we are told that there is a great need for more doctors. We are told that there is a great need for more education, and that this problem of fitting the expanding knowledge into a fixed amount of time is indeed challenging. The facts acquired by basic science are useful in the care of sick people and therefore this expanding body of knowledge must be communicated to the clinician. The means by which these noble goals will be attained are not indicated. The book is useful only for a detailed description of the current status of work in selected areas of basic research. This reviewer is not competent to evaluate all the research reported in this Symposium. Suffice it to say that the people chosen to represent the various disciplines are leading members of their respective fields. HOWARD LEVITIN