There are three great themes in science in the twentieth century : the atom, the computer, and the gene.

I had learned that science is a rewarding, active process of discovery, not the passive absorption of what others had discovered.

Our biggest single theme is trying to make the NIH work better with the same amount of money.

Anyone graduating from medical school in 1966 had first to fulfill military service before launching a career. Fiercely opposed to the Vietnam War, I sought to avoid it through an assignment to the Public Health Service.

Following graduation from Amherst, a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship enabled me to test the depth of my interest in literary scholarship by beginning graduate studies at Harvard University.

I had learned of Gertrude Steins bon mot that medicine opened all doors. This prompted me, in different moods, to view my future life as literary psychiatrist, globe-trotting tropical disease specialist, or academic internist.

My ideal summer day was reading on the porch.