Retreat

Had the department research day last Saturday.

Those who are around for some years would remember the event has secretly changed its name from research retreat to research day - no longer do we go to some exotic place for a "relaxing" Sunday, but merely stay in house for a sordid afternoon.

But, I'm not surprised. People just lose their interest in attending a talk unrelated to their own specialty. Say, why should a nephrologist be interested in what a geriatrician's work on dementia?

And that's a global trend. When the Nature divided itself into Nature Medicine and a dozen of other journals, medical scientists are no longer interested in the nature - but only their problem at hand (for example, the next round of audit on their number of publication).

As Geoffrey Vickers (in The Art of Judgment) said: Even the dogs may eat of the crumbs which fall from the rich man’s table; and in these days, when the rich in knowledge eat such specialized food at such separate tables, only the dogs have a chance of a balanced diet.

PS. Maybe I should have another pair of glass to look for things slightly more far ahead.