Although science, like art, may properly exist for private motives, it becomes a matter of occasional public interest whether or not "anything useful comes out of all this research." While as a scientist I find such questioning abhorrent and irrelevant, nevertheless as a practicing physician and taxpayer I am inevitably prudently curious as to where my time and money are going. Is there a payoff to our research?
Recently I suggested that research is in and of itself therapeutic.7 If indeed this is the case, and if the cost of research is comparable to the cost of therapy as currently conceived, then we need pursue the matter no farther, and conclude that research is twice blest: It blesseth him that is experimenter and him that is experimented upon. Should it then be possible to apply the findings of research to improved treatment of patients, employable by