Science

Although it is a good idea from the research point of view to merge our anatomists and physiologists and other related people to form one department, I am not all at ease with the idea.

The very question is: Who is going to teach our students basic anatomy and physiology ?

"By those who come from the responsible department," you may say.

But staff may change with time. How could new academic staff of this establishment of molecular science agree to teach a subject that they know absolutely nothing ?

Of course you would recognize the loophole of my argument: things are no better at this moment.

No, things could be worse. If there remains a department called anatomy or physiology, their teaching would be evaluated, and teachers would have the incentive to try doing a better job. We lose this last line of defence once we combine everything.

But you are completely right. I still find it difficult to understand why it is impossible to ask surgeons to teach all the anatomy and physicians physiology. That's another story.