Forward-thinking approaches

11/01/2001

I read the point of view offered by Richard Matthews in the "Unfiltered" column (CleanRooms, September, 2001) with significant interest since Mr. Matthews is both highly regarded in the professional arena and because the topic of contamination control is one that I feel is relevant in the evolving compliance issues that exist today within the pharmaceutical industry.

I do agree that a new infusion of thought and action is needed to carry us forward in the 21st century. But I believe that Mr. Matthews may be looking in the wrong places in and effort to stimulate that outcome.

His point regarding the disconnect between what was (60's era) and what is (baby boomers and post-man-on-the-moon generation) is a prime example of trying to solve current problems with ideas that may have worked well in their time but may not be in-sync with the technologies and quality levels of today.

His idea of going to Mars to stimulate discovery would, not doubt, produce gains in the areas he is looking, but, I contend, they would not produce the level of results to meet his expectations. Figuratively, you would not get the same bang for the buck.

The efforts spawned through the 60s and 70s and garnered in the 80s and 90s were, no doubt, monumental contributions. We are not now where we were in the 60s and a similar effort would not generate identical results. What we must do is take today's ingenuity and apply forward thinking approaches to problems and come up with unique solutions, as was done in the 60s.

I suggest that it is the boomers and post-man-on-the-moon generation, as Mr. Matthews puts it, that are the most likely to fit into that category. However, I do not preclude anyone from contributing who is willing to think courageously regardless of their tenure.

I believe that for youth to maximize their potential contribution it is absolutely necessary for them to have a firm foundation of the past in order to discover where we need to go. There is continuity to all change. But the most rapid periods of change seem to surge and sometimes defy continuity.

Let our professional organizations provide the forum for both continuous change and novel approaches to traditional and novel problems as we stimulate the discovery process by creating an environment for new ways to look at old and current issues.

William H. Miele