Abstract
The contemporary scientific establishment equates hypothesis testing to good science. This stance bypasses the preliminary need to identify a worthwhile hypothesis through rigorous observation of natural processes. If alleviation of human suffering is claimed as the goal of a scientific undertaking, it would be unfair to test a hypothesis whose relevance to human disease has not been satisfactorily proven. Here, we argue that descriptive investigations based on direct human observation should be highly valued and regarded essential for the selection of worthwhile hypotheses while the pursuit of costly scientific investigations without such evidence is a desecration of the cause upon which biomedical research is grounded.There are good things so in the tide pools and interesting thoughts to be generated from the seeing. Every new eye applied to the peephole which looks out at the world may fish in some new beauty and some new pattern, and the world of the human mind must be enriched by such fishing.John Steinbeck – Foreword to the Third Edition of Ed Ricketts' "Tides".
Highlights
There are good things so in the tide pools and interesting thoughts to be generated from the seeing
Descriptive studies will increase the efficiency of translational research It is surprising how often a manuscript is dismissed by reviewers as "just descriptive", regardless of the novelty of the reported observation
As previously argued [7,8,9,10,11,12,13], translational research is a two way road with much to be learned from the unbiased study of human beings and if a claim of relevance to human suffering is placed, compelling evidence should be provided
Summary
There are good things so in the tide pools and interesting thoughts to be generated from the seeing. We have not once received a negative comment on a "mechanistic" study, even if it lacks proof of the validity of the experimental model and its relevance to human disease. As previously argued [7,8,9,10,11,12,13], translational research is a two way road with much to be learned from the unbiased study of human beings and if a claim of relevance to human suffering is placed, compelling evidence should be provided.
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