The Circuit of Awareness 117
in the audience Dr. Ralph Bowen, my college biology professor, a kind
but exacting teacher who'd inspired me with his unique combination of
scientific discipline and respect for life. Afterward, with characteristic
caution, he said something like "That's not too bad, Becker. I'd like to
see you keep going in this research."
When I assured him that, despite my M.D. degree, I was still com-
mitted to basic biology, he said, "I hope so, but remember, it won't be
easy. To change things is never popular." His encouragement meant a
lot to me, and I was happy to be able to show him that I'd amounted to
something.
A lot had happened in the four work-filled years since I'd begun
studying the current of injury. That first experiment had opened a door
into a great hall with passageways leading off in all sorts of fascinating
directions. This was really the life! Without leaving the laboratory I'd
gone on a journey of exploration as exciting as trekking through the
uncharted wilds of New Guinea. Our work on nerves and the brain was
leading toward a whole new concept of life whose implications only
gradually became apparent. Meanwhile, my colleagues and I were con-
tinuing to investigate the processes of healing, leading to insights and
practical applications that more than justified my enthusiasm.