Perspectives in Biology and Medicine

DISMISSED OBSERVATIONS: THE KINDLING EFFECT, A CASE STUDY F. ALONZO-de-FLORIDA* Introduction So-called independent observations are frequent outcomes in science. A researcher at a given geographic location and point in time makes an observation that is repeated at another place, either simultaneously or later, by another researcher without knowledge of the former observation . Yet, independent observations are normally defined as cases in which lack of communication between the two scientists can be attributed to some strong social reason, such as unsurmountable political or language barriers. Otherwise, the term dismissed observation seems more appropriately applied to the precedent observation, in cases, for instance, where an observation was published in a widely distributed journal, preceding another publication arriving at equivalent results. In accordance with the classical view of Kühn [1], a discovery is easily acknowledged by the scientific community and incorporated into current theory, if it supports that theory. If not, such a discovery is often dismissed, at least temporarily, until new theoretical developments are produced. Some relatively rare discoveries can surpass normal theory and incite sudden theoretical developments called scientific revolutions. These leaps in scientific knowledge usually result from the combined observations of more than one scientist. In this essay I hold that Kühn's philosophical theory is correct only as applied to observations with direct bearing on scientific theories. There are observations of another type, those whose importance is The author was assisted and encouraged by the comments of Drs. Robert Adamec, P. D. MacLean, A. A. Minzoni, and M. Velasco-Suárez. English translation by Ms. Isabel Pérez Monfort. *Professor emeritus at the Laboratorio de Biofísica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biom édicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70199, Ciudad Universitaria, México, D. F., 04510, México.© 1994 by The University of Chicago. AU rights reserved. 003 1 -5982/94/3702-0853$0 1 .00 202 I F. Alonzo-de-Florida ¦ The KindlingEffect methodological and that are only secondarily and indirectly concerned with theory. These observations are models (not in the sense of subsidiary theories as in mathematical models, but in the sense of methodological objects). Such models are very important in some sectors of biology (physiology, medicine, ecology) because they offer the opportunity, not so much of interpreting, but of observing further. The discovery of a model in this sense is reminiscent of finding a promising vein of ore in a mine. It is not the ore obtained immediately that matters most, but the properties of the vein indicating its potential. For instance, the giant axon of the squid in vitro certainly was a rich vein of knowledge in the field of excitability. Hodgkin, who performed the crucial experiments in collaboration with Huxley, said: The introduction of the squid giant fibre by J. Z. Young in 1936 did more for axonology than any other single advance during the last forty years. [2] Then, there is a problem because, as I shall show, such models can be dismissed; therefore a more general philosophical view is desirable to comprehend both theoretically and methodologically oriented dismissed observations. In this study, I shall focus on a concrete old instance of a model of epilepsy related to the kindling effect of my own research at Yale [3]. This model was dismissed for a long time in the past, a fact to which I have naturally given a great deal of thought. Because my own research in physiology is involved in this analysis, I have endeavored neither to prejudge the issue, nor to avoid factual arguments and consistent inferences. Several examples from other fields serve to generalize the discussion and develop an idea that extends Kiihn's viewpoint. This is not a mere allegation of the priority of my work, which indeed, has ultimately been recognized [4, 5]. For an updated publication of all epilepsy models, including kindling, see the review by Fisher [5]. The present is an epistemological approach mainly taking into account the old studies. Various sections are included for the sake of a systematic analysis. Normal and Defective Dismissals Contrary to popular belief, dismissing observations is a normal practice in science [6]. Dismissals are useful to depute the phenomenological material used to...