Prof Benchie and Dr Athena—A modern tragedy…

Abstract

…..in which Professor Benchie, an established super-sub-speciality clinician who spends most of his time performing laboratory research, profers advice to Athena, an enthusiastic early career physician who, although she spent summers in the lab as a medical student, is just finishing a research fellowship that included a course in clinical research and wonders whether she would prefer to devote her research time to patient-based therapeutic trials.

“Prof, now I'm really worried. I'm not sure, from what you've said, that I can rely on conclusions that come out of the lab. Far from being clean, and precise, you seem to be ignoring problems with validity which, because they also bedevil clinical studies, we've worked to prevent and overcome. Let me go and read up about this ….”

With this Dr Athena goes off to the biomedical library and does some literature research, helpfully guided by their staff and an expanding number of relevant publications on this issue ….

Later that same month ….

“Cripes, Athena. Your systematic demolition of our cherished bench research methods has shaken my confidence in my own work, and I need to go away and read and think and reformulate my research strategies and tactics. I guess you won't be coming near the lab then”