The Quest for New Biodynamic Substances

I. An Auspicious Occasion for Stocktaking and Planning the Future Let me, first of all, say how very sensible I am of the honor of the invitation extended to me by Dr. Max Tishler, president of this worldrenowned pharmaceutical company, to address you today on the auspicious and festive occasion of the dedication of the new, very extensive, up-todate, and comprehensively equipped research laboratories, provided with the complicated and expensive array of instruments the modern scientist must have at his disposal ifhe is to remain in the front line of events. They represent a powerful stepping-up öf the already formidable research potential of Merck and Company. A heavy financial investment by any standards, they are the most concrete and most tangible expression, visible, and understandable to all, of the company's faith in the power of the forces of research in the quest for new biodynamic substances. I use this term to denote biologically active substances, that is to say, substances that have the property of influencing metabolic reaction rates in biological systems—man, animals, insects, micro-organisms, and plants— in the intact organisms as well as in isolated enzyme systems, in the retarding as well as the accelerating sense. The purpose of science is not only to understand nature but to harness and tame its forces for the benefit of mankind; and for those of our community of scientists engaged in fighting disease in its manifold manifestations, infectious as well as metabolic, in man as well as in livestock, for those of us who are engaged in improving crops, making more food available, improving its flavor, and preserving it for longer periods, the quest for new biodynamic substances is of vital importance and one of our chief tasks. * Head, Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, England. This paper was presented at the dedication symposium of the new research laboratories of Merck Sharp and Dohme in May, 1966. It will be included in a collection of papers to be published in book form by Merck Sharp and Dohme.