RESEARCH ORIENTATION AND THE PRACTITIONER OF MEDICINE

The research orientation and the practitioner of medicine is a subject that defies easy analysis and ready solution. The impact of research on the practitioner is just as important as the impact of research on the patient. As a matter of fact, the end-result is much the same. The practitioner is expected to filter out the good from the bad and recognize the practical applications of the results of these studies. The research physician should be in a position to disseminate practical and useful information to the practicing physician. On the other hand, the practitioner of medicine is in a situation where he, too, may do investigative work. I always think of that classic example in this regard, namely, Sir James Mackenzie's contribution regarding "Extrasystoles." After many years in practice and observing many instances of this disorder, he gave a most lucid analysis of the clinical significance of this type