What Price Intellectual Honesty?” Asks a Neurobiologist Harold Hillman

5 “What price intellectual honesty?” asks a neurobiologist Harold Hillman Published in Brian Martin (editor), Confronting the Experts (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1996), pp. 99-130 Career the University at that time, and have been the I was born in London, although both of my senior physiologist since then. In 1970, I set parents went to Scottish Universities. I was up the Unity Laboratory of Applied Neurobi- brought up to respect academics, and to ology, which I have directed ever since. I have believe that their paramount interest in life published about 150 full-length publications in was the pursuit of truth. My intention had cytology, neurobiology and resuscitation, and always been to take up a career in a university, have written five books. in which — as long as one carried out the Throughout my career, my upbringing and teaching duties assigned by the head of training led me to entertain the following department — one was free to do research in assumptions: academics’ first priority is to any area in one’s discipline, which seemed seek the truth as they define it; they are exciting. At that time in Britain academics prepared to enter into dialogue about their were protected from those with orthodox beliefs and research; they believe that opinions in power by long established tenure. evidence and reasoning should take prece- I obtained a scholarship to University dence over belief and emotion; they behave College School, London, and took a medical fairly in argument; they do not practice degree at Middlesex Hospital Medical School casuistry; and they do not use power to defend in 1956, since when I have practiced as a part- their views. I have reluctantly come to the time physician. I proceeded to a degree in conclusion that these assumptions are not neurophysiology and biophysics at the always warranted. Department of Physiology, University College, London, and completed it in 1958. I A student of the Institute of Psychiatry, also obtained a diploma in biophysics from 1958-1962 Kings College, London. My first job in 1958 was as research assistant I then went to the Institute of Psychiatry, to Professor Henry McIlwain, at the Institute first as a research assistant and then as an of Psychiatry, London. He was the most active Honorary Lecturer in Biochemistry, and I exponent of the use of thin slivers cut from stayed there until 1962. I was working on the brain for the study of the biochemistry and electrical properties of slices of brain, and was physiology of the intact living brain. I believe invited to examine similar properties of nerve that he had learnt the technique from Professor cells dissected out by hand, in Sweden. I Sir Hans Krebs, the Nobel Laureate in returned to Britain in 1964 and took up the biochemistry, with whom he had worked in position of Biochemist and Honorary Lecturer Sheffield, England. The properties of the in Applied Neurobiology at the Institute of brains of adult animals could be studied in Neurology in London. The following year I slices for up to two hours before they degener- was appointed Senior Lecturer in Physiology ated. Professor McIlwain had built up the at Battersea College and, in 1968, I was made Department of Biochemistry with a small a personal Reader in the University of Surrey. nucleus of permanent staff, and 10-15 visiting I was in charge of all physiology teaching in What price intellectual honesty? 59 research workers and students for doctorates that it was just a different way of expressing of philosophy. the value. No, I maintained that this was not At the Institute of Psychiatry, I became true, because a similar constituent had been aware of certain fairly common practices. calculated correctly, and the result reported Some people did not quote authors they did was in impossible units. not like personally, or others who had predated This mistake, once published, became the them, or had findings that senior staff did not correct values, and later publications showed like. They would fail to do control experi- similar ones. In a book written later, different ments or would discard results which gave pages show different values for the same different results from those they expected. parameter. The book is very authoritative. I When I first heard about these practices, I was did not wish to hurt the feelings of those shocked by them, but I was even more responsible, but when I wrote a paper shocked by the tolerance and cynicism which subsequently on the same subject, I inserted some of my colleagues displayed towards the correct calculation; there was some them. difficulty in publishing it. In 1958, I was discussing a particular I learned several lessons from my time at biochemical problem with a senior Hungarian the Institute of Psychiatry. Firstly, doctoral biochemist, who came to the Institute legally students have no redress against their supervi- before the Revolution and had applied for sors, since their careers would be ruined if asylum in Britain. This was granted on they made determined criticisms, or resigned condition that he remained in the same their studentships. Furthermore, well-known position. He told me that he quite agreed with academics find it relatively easy to publish in a me, but would not say so in public, as it might journal, especially if they are on the editorial risk his appointment here. board. Thirdly, the data reported in weighty I devised a simple technique for cutting books acquire an authority and inertia, which slices quickly, so that they could be studied encourages some other people to find similar sooner than by the previous technique. One of results, and dissuades others from submitting my colleagues liked the idea, and was put on different results for publication. This was my to the task of studying the properties of slices first personal experience of misdemeanour, cut in this way. We worked harmoniously and it disturbed me greatly. together, until one day he stopped coming to my laboratory, and I noticed that he was Research Fellow in Göteborg, Sweden, avoiding me in the corridor. A senior 1962-1964 colleague had ordered my friend to work with In 1962, Professor Holger Hydén, at the him rather than to develop my technique, but I Institute of Neurobiology, Göteborg, invited was too junior to be able to protest. me to do similar studies on single nerve cells I heard along the grapevine that this senior dissected out by hand from the brains of colleague was writing up a paper based on my freshly killed rabbits.1 The technique is work, and when I asked if I would be a co- brilliant in its simplicity, and is not difficult.2 author, I was told that my help would be A large number of experiments were carried acknowledged. In the event, when the paper out on the biochemistry and anatomy of the appeared, I noticed that it ended with an cell bodies, but the same question was asked, acknowledgement for my “help” with the as had been asked about cerebral slices. How technique, but I had not been asked to be a co- many of the electrical properties of the living author. nerve cell survived its separation? I was When I read the published paper, I noticed employed with many others to find out. an important mistake in one of the calcula- I had a very interesting and fruitful time at tions. I pointed this out politely, but I was told the Institute of Neurobiology under Professor 60 Confronting the experts Hydén, who was very kind to me personally. so I wondered if one could measure the change However, I saw there two practices of which I of this ‘high-energy’ compound in retina (part had been previously unaware. A technician of the eye), composed of thousands of cells, would produce a table of results, and the when light was shone on to it. I found a supervisor would strike out some of them, considerable change. Since the retina is an without giving any reason for so doing; the outgrowth of the brain, I sought the same technician then retyped the table, discarded the effect in slices of brain, spinal cord and the original, and the new table became the raw sciatic nerve (which runs down the back of the data. In recent times in Britain, I have seen leg), and found that all these tissues exhibited research workers simply deleting values from it. Then I asked myself, “Why should one have the computers attached to their instruments. I a light-sensitive enzyme in the nerve upon do not believe these practices are widespread which one sits?” After 3 months of intensive in Sweden or in Britain. experiments; I left out all the tissue. To my The real worry was that such selected and, astonishment, the ATP itself was sensitive to therefore, misleading data should occur in light. This was unexpected and had not been published papers, and then become part of the reported before. I repeated the experiments canon of knowledge. In the real world, the with a much less sensitive method of measur- idea that they would be corrected when other ing phosphate.6 The results were the same. people tried to reproduce the experiment is I have always been of the opinion that when just wishful thinking. As a consequence of a humble journeyman of a research worker these observations, I made the decision that I finds something exciting about such an would never myself indulge in, or put my important molecule, it is likely to be either a name on publications, in which I knew that mistake or an artifact resulting from the manipulation of results or intellectual casuistry procedure.

Load more