What was your favorite subject in school?
What was my favorite subject in school? I was a biology major in college, and genetics was my favorite subject.
Why? One main reason was my teacher. He was a genetics expert who trained under a pioneer in the field. My professor made difficult topics easy to understand (relatively speaking). He was interesting and engaging.
Another reason I enjoyed genetics was because it addressed important issues such as evolution, mental and physical illness, family structure, anthropology, and more.
One fun idea we were told was that the purpose of the whole organism was to reproduce DNA. Notice that DNA is the reason for reproduction, not the whole organism. That exists as a container for the DNA.
Of course, reproduction is a defining feature of living things (not just for DNA). If a species does not reproduce, it becomes extinct.
The idea that the primary purpose of any organism, such as a human being, is just to reproduce DNA is not to be taken literally. It is just a fun way to express its importance to a species.
After college I went to medical school. I had to take the Medical College Aptitude Test. It seemed to me that a significant number of questions involved genetics. I thought I did well on them because I had a great teacher.
Years after becoming a physician, I was teaching full-time in a medical school and had an opportunity to visit the college I attended. I took that opportunity to track down my genetics professor.
I told him that I was now a medical school professor, and I was grateful that he had played a meaningful role in my becoming a physician. He was beaming when I told him how thankful I was.
I suggest you tell someone who made an important impact on your life what that meant to you. You will both enjoy it.
Peter M. Hartmann, MD
Family Medicine & Psychiatry
