Whiff of Death by Isaac Asimov

Author:Isaac Asimov
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Fawcett
Published: 1980-09-11T16:00:00+00:00

He had almost said "murder." He tried again. "Because what happened to Ralph Neufeld?"

Anson looked puzzled. "You mean Ralph's accident?"

"Yes."

"He said nothing about that. Why should there be a connection?"

Brade shrugged and looked away.

Anson said, "It's a matter of research results. You're not publishing enough."

"Publish or perish," said Brade, bitterly.

"Well, you know that, Brade. It's an old story. It's a

man's reputation that holds his value to the university. A

man's reputation is built up out of his contributions of

scientific research. His contributions are measured by the

.number of publications he puts out."

Brade said, "Then if I were to take my findings, scrabble them together, and dole them out in skimpy paragraphs to this journal and that; if I were to make a dozen publications out of each piece of research; I would end up a great man, I suppose. It seems a man's reputation can be measured by the number of thin slivers into which he can divide his research."

"Brade, Brade." The old chemist listed a quieting hand, gnarled and veined, and patted Brade's knee. Don't make an issue of quality over quantity. The papers you have put out in the last ten years have been careful and worthwhile, but scarcely transcendent contributions." He almost chuckled in appreciation of the phrase and repeated, "Scarcely transcendent contributions."

"I've had scarcely transcendent students," said Brade, pettishly, and was ashamed almost at once. There was no point in shifting blame.

But Anson said, "True enough. Whose fault is that?"

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