Surgeons C o l u m b i a U n i v e r e i t y , New Y o r k , N . Y .A s a man becomes more adventurous in probing under t h e s e a and into space, t h e r e s p o n s e of body s y s t e m s becomes more i mportant to explore i n depth. A s a result, i n part, of t h e s e efforts, an i n c r e a s i n g body of information, of a precision not previously f e a s i b l e to obtain, is accumulating. Two factors, the importance of man a s an integral part of engineering problems and i n c r e a s i n g aversion of some technical personnel for purely d e s t r u c t i v e research, h a v e generated i n c r e a s e d i n t e r e s t in man a s a p a r t of new technological exploration.T h i s h a s n o t a l w a y s been so. In fact, on previous occasions's' t h i s author h a s pointed o u t t h a t for t h e b a s i c s c i e n t i s t , a human problem was, i n general, less likely to lead to a full professorship than one involving microorganisms, cockroaches or some even l e s s appealing forms of life. Clinical medicine cannot fail to benefit from t h i s i n c r e a s e d s t a t u s of t h e human being a s a s u b j e c t for investigation.T h e t i m e s p a n of t h e medical school curiiculum, however, l e a v e s l i t t l e mom for introduction of such new information a s may a c c r u e f r o m such efforts. T h e r e is, i n addition, a growing need for rather specially trained biologica1 engineers, s o m e of w h o s e traini n g might well t a k e p l a c e within t h e confines of a medical school, were t h e medical school ready to train them. It t a k e s s p e c i a l s p a c e A second justification for t h e term biomedical engineer is i n its appeal to t h e group from which most of t h e recruits will b e drawn. 6 1 *This paper, illu6treted with s l i d e s , w a s presented at a meeting of the D i r Islon on M a y 12, 1964.
