In the large Charity Hospital of New Orleans auditorium, a physiologist presents his research findings to the peer review committee and the three officials of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, for continuing grant funding. His slides exhibit graphs of cholesterol levels due to oat intake in diet. He jokingly contributes that he with a very low cholesterol level recently had a small heart attack. It was a very up-tight, noiseless period time, in the darkened hall with only the light from the projector making deep shadows as it melted the scientists into softly edged objects and wrapped around the coffee cups and pots on the tables. I was reminded of the 1492 Spanish Inquisition with the life and death of a medical career on-the-line as the result of the decision of the committee and officials.

<previous page | next page>