American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 140, No. 7: 631
Copyright © 1994 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
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Morens and Littman Reply to Langmuir
After submitting our paper on the "Plague of Athens" (1), we learned with sorrow of Alex Langmuir's death. Although our paper contradicts his "diagnosis" of the Athenian epidemic, it was inspired by several rousing and friendly exchanges with Alex, whose gracious recommendation in favor of publication (2) was not swayed by his strong disagreement with our conclusion. An experientialist at heart (3), Alex would have agreed with Emerson's belief that "the laws of disease... are as beautiful as the laws of health. [We] readily [accept] the testimony of negative facts, as every shadow points to the sun" (4, p. 127). Alex also understood that part of the value of studying the Athenian epidemic lies in the fact that its cause will never be known with certainty. This encourages students of epidemiology, at all levels of experience, to shape ideas and strategies without fear of being proven wrong. In doing so, we may come to learn about the discovery process itself. Alex, who wrote that "the process of discovery stands at the very beginning of science" (3), taught and influenced three generations of American epidemiologists in the same spirit. We can think of no better way to thank a man we so admired than to remember Alex Langmuir as a friend of learning.