Harry Potter and Medicine of the Future
by Michael Shulman
BiotechBlitz
I went to see the fifth Harry Potter movie today, as a prelude to locking myself in with some Chinese food and the seventh and last Harry Potter book this weekend. And I walked away, as I always do, refreshed.
Refreshed? Yes.
J.K. Rowling’s books, while a bit short of real literature, do continue the great tradition of English myth -- Potter being the heir to King Arthur, Frodo and Luke Skywalker. Simply put, the young anointed one exposed to or embodying, both dark and light, good and evil, and forced to make choices about which side he will turn to. All, of course, with the salvation of others (usually innocent) hanging in the balance.
Sounds like a college student choosing between a career in medicine or on Wall Street. And, dawgonit, I like tales of good versus bad, light versus dark, money versus new molecules!
The Potter books and films tell us how much our society lets our young shape their own lives, and how much we depend on them. More importantly, the tales let us know how important magic is to all of us.
No, not real magic -- I'm not allowed to write about real magic in a blog read by muggles -- but whispered magic that keeps some of us thinking about the forces that shape our future. More importantly, these books and films spur the imagination and get the mind cranking – and who knows where that could take all of us?
Science, and a loudly stated belief in what science can do for us, is the magic of the 21st century. Harry will battle the Dark Lord Voldemort, while our young anointed ones (if they can get into college without playing lacrosse and if they are willing to graduate $250,000 in debt) can become the next Harry Potters, using the magic of science to combat disease, aging and famine -- not to mention hangovers, bad tasting diet food and the common cold.
I actually thought about some of this during the movie. It was very good and in my opinion the best since the first movie. This one realized that if Harry Potter inspires kids to dream and believe (somewhat) in magic then society’s future may be a bit better.
In fact, creativity and imagination are central to scientific discovery. The inventor of inhalable insulin was first inspired to look at inhalation as a way to deliver serious drugs while imbibing a not-so-controlled substance as possibly the only PhD. grunt in Vietnam. How many major scientific breakthroughs have come from Asian countries practicing a Confucian form or education emphasizing rote learning rather than creative thinking?
So the extent to which JK and her publishers have pushed children to dream more, believe a bit more in some form of magic, to let their imaginations play a larger part in their lives, then we are, indeed, in her debt. If you still think this is a stretch, the U.S. and the UK produce, arguably, 90% of the world’s wholly new medical products – perhaps more. And they do it with less than half the developed world’s population. Magic, and the belief that almost anything is possible, has its benefits!
And, if Rowling gives away her first billion and decides she needs to make more, she should hit the lecture circuit and talk to the folks in the big pharmas. They need a whole bunch of creative inspiration!
There was more bad news today on Glaxo’s (GSK) Avandia and Pfizer’s (PFE) Lipitor saw U.S. sales decline 25% last quarter due to generic competition -- there is just no magic there.
Please do see the film, enjoy the new book and hope (better: expect) some avid Potter fan sees magic in molecules.
BiotechBlitz is a regular contributor to BioHealth Investor
_____________
BiotechBlitz
I went to see the fifth Harry Potter movie today, as a prelude to locking myself in with some Chinese food and the seventh and last Harry Potter book this weekend. And I walked away, as I always do, refreshed.
Refreshed? Yes.
J.K. Rowling’s books, while a bit short of real literature, do continue the great tradition of English myth -- Potter being the heir to King Arthur, Frodo and Luke Skywalker. Simply put, the young anointed one exposed to or embodying, both dark and light, good and evil, and forced to make choices about which side he will turn to. All, of course, with the salvation of others (usually innocent) hanging in the balance.
Sounds like a college student choosing between a career in medicine or on Wall Street. And, dawgonit, I like tales of good versus bad, light versus dark, money versus new molecules!
The Potter books and films tell us how much our society lets our young shape their own lives, and how much we depend on them. More importantly, the tales let us know how important magic is to all of us.
No, not real magic -- I'm not allowed to write about real magic in a blog read by muggles -- but whispered magic that keeps some of us thinking about the forces that shape our future. More importantly, these books and films spur the imagination and get the mind cranking – and who knows where that could take all of us?
Science, and a loudly stated belief in what science can do for us, is the magic of the 21st century. Harry will battle the Dark Lord Voldemort, while our young anointed ones (if they can get into college without playing lacrosse and if they are willing to graduate $250,000 in debt) can become the next Harry Potters, using the magic of science to combat disease, aging and famine -- not to mention hangovers, bad tasting diet food and the common cold.
I actually thought about some of this during the movie. It was very good and in my opinion the best since the first movie. This one realized that if Harry Potter inspires kids to dream and believe (somewhat) in magic then society’s future may be a bit better.
In fact, creativity and imagination are central to scientific discovery. The inventor of inhalable insulin was first inspired to look at inhalation as a way to deliver serious drugs while imbibing a not-so-controlled substance as possibly the only PhD. grunt in Vietnam. How many major scientific breakthroughs have come from Asian countries practicing a Confucian form or education emphasizing rote learning rather than creative thinking?
So the extent to which JK and her publishers have pushed children to dream more, believe a bit more in some form of magic, to let their imaginations play a larger part in their lives, then we are, indeed, in her debt. If you still think this is a stretch, the U.S. and the UK produce, arguably, 90% of the world’s wholly new medical products – perhaps more. And they do it with less than half the developed world’s population. Magic, and the belief that almost anything is possible, has its benefits!
And, if Rowling gives away her first billion and decides she needs to make more, she should hit the lecture circuit and talk to the folks in the big pharmas. They need a whole bunch of creative inspiration!
There was more bad news today on Glaxo’s (GSK) Avandia and Pfizer’s (PFE) Lipitor saw U.S. sales decline 25% last quarter due to generic competition -- there is just no magic there.
Please do see the film, enjoy the new book and hope (better: expect) some avid Potter fan sees magic in molecules.
BiotechBlitz is a regular contributor to BioHealth Investor
_____________
posted by Nico at
4:33 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home