Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Bulletin of the Medical Library Association logoLink to Bulletin of the Medical Library Association
. 1989 Jul;77(3):258–268.

Our silent enemy: ashes in our libraries

Lois DeBakey 1,2, Selma DeBakey 3
PMCID: PMC227429  PMID: 2758179

Abstract

Scholars, scientists, physicians, other health professionals, and librarians face a crucial decision today: shall we nourish the biomedical archives as a viable and indispensable source of information, or shall we bury their ashes and lose a century or more of consequential scientific history? Biomedical books and journals published since the 1850s on self-destructing acidic paper are silently and insidiously scorching on our shelves. The associated risks for scientists and physicians are serious—incomplete assessment of past knowledge; unnecessary repetition of studies that have already led to conclusive results; delay in scientific advances when important concepts, techniques, instruments, and procedures are overlooked; faulty comparative analyses; or improper assignment of priority.

The archives also disclose the nature of biomedical research, which builds on past knowledge, advances incrementally, and is strewn with missteps, frustrations, detours, inconsistencies, enigmas, and contradictions. The public's familiarity with the scientific process will avoid unrealistic expectations and will encourage support for research in health. But a proper historical perspective requires access to the biomedical archives. Since journals will apparently continue to be published on paper, it is folly to persist in the use of acidic paper and thus magnify for future librarians and preservationists the already Sisyphean and costly task of deacidifying their collections.

Our plea for conversion to acid-free paper is accompanied by an equally strong appeal for more rigorous criteria for journal publication. The glut of journal articles—many superficial, redundant, mediocre, or otherwise flawed and some even fraudulent—has overloaded our databases, complicated bibliographic research, and exacerbated the preservation problem. Before accepting articles, journal editors should ask: If it is not worth preserving, is it worth publishing?

It is our responsibility to protect the integrity of our biomedical records against all threats. Authors should consider submitting manuscripts to journals that use acid-free paper, especially if they think, as most authors do, that they are writing for posterity. Librarians can refuse to purchase journals published on acidic paper, which they know will need restoration within a few decades and will thus help deplete their budgets. All of us can urge our government to devise a coordinated national conservation policy that will halt the destruction of a century of our historical record. The battle will not be easy, but the challenge beckons urgently. The choice is ours: we can answer the call, or we can deny scientists, physicians, and historians the records they need to expand human knowledge and improve health care.

Full text

PDF
258

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alsabti E. A., Ghalib O. N., Salem M. H. Effect of platinum compounds on murine lymphocyte mitogenesis. Jpn J Med Sci Biol. 1979 Apr;32(2):53–65. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson A. First scientific fraud conviction. Nature. 1988 Sep 29;335(6189):389–389. doi: 10.1038/335389c0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cormack A. M. Recollections of my work with computer assisted tomography. Mol Cell Biochem. 1980 Sep 15;32(2):59–61. doi: 10.1007/BF00227800. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Culliton B. J. NIH panel finds no fraud in Cell paper but cites errors. Science. 1988 Dec 16;242(4885):1499–1499. doi: 10.1126/science.3201234. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Darsee J. R., Kloner R. A., Braunwald E. Early recovery of regional performance in salvaged ischemic myocardium following coronary artery occlusion in the dog. J Clin Invest. 1981 Jul;68(1):225–239. doi: 10.1172/JCI110239. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Retracted]
  6. Darsee J. R., Kloner R. A. Dependency of location of salvageable myocardium on type of intervention. Am J Cardiol. 1981 Oct;48(4):702–710. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(81)90149-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Darsee J. R., Kloner R. A. The no reflow phenomenon: a time-limiting factor for reperfusion after coronary occlusion? Am J Cardiol. 1980 Nov;46(5):800–806. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(80)90431-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Darsee J. R., Miklozek C. L., Heymsfield S. B., Hopkins L. C., Jr, Wenger N. K. Mitral valve prolapse and ophthalmoplegia: a progressive, cardioneurologic syndrome. Ann Intern Med. 1980 Jun;92(6):735–741. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-92-6-735. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Darsee J. R., Nutter D. O. Reversible severe congestive cardiomyopathy in three cases of hypophosphatemia. Ann Intern Med. 1978 Dec;89(6):867–870. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-89-6-867. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dawber T. R., Kannel W. B., Gordon T. Coffee and cardiovascular disease. Observations from the framingham study. N Engl J Med. 1974 Oct 24;291(17):871–874. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197410242911703. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. DeBakey L. Book-burning in our medical libraries: prevention or palliation? Am J Cardiol. 1988 Sep 1;62(7):458–461. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(88)90978-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. DeBakey L., DeBakey S. Ethics and etiquette in biomedical communication. Perspect Biol Med. 1975 Summer;18(4):522–540. doi: 10.1353/pbm.1975.0054. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. DeBakey L., DeBakey S. Journal editors and the press: cooperation not conflict. JAMA. 1981 Jun 12;245(22):2296–2297. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. DeBakey L., DeBakey S. Medicant: nothing hinders communication as much as words--when they are used badly or incorrectly. Forum Med. 1978 Apr;1(1):38-40, 42-3, 80-1 passim. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Debakey M. E., Debakey L. The ethics and economics of high-technology medicine. Compr Ther. 1983 Dec;9(12):6–16. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Dressler D., Rosenfeld S. On the chemical nature of transfer factor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1974 Nov;71(11):4429–4434. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.11.4429. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Engler R. L., Covell J. W., Friedman P. J., Kitcher P. S., Peters R. M. Misrepresentation and responsibility in medical research. N Engl J Med. 1987 Nov 26;317(22):1383–1389. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198711263172205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Heymsfield S. B., Glenn J. F. Retraction. Darsee JR, Heymsfield SB. Decreased myocardial taurine levels and hypertaurinuria in a kindred with mitral-valve prolapse and congestive cardiomyopathy. N Engl J Med 1981;304:129-35. N Engl J Med. 1983 Jun 9;308(23):1400–1400. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198306093082308. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Holden C. NIMH finds a case of "serious misconduct". Science. 1987 Mar 27;235(4796):1566–1567. doi: 10.1126/science.2881355. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Kark P., Becker D., Perlman S. Reduced enzyme activities in inherited ataxia. Ann Neurol. 1980 Sep;8(3):342–342. doi: 10.1002/ana.410080324. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Kloner R. A., DeBoer L. W., Darsee J. R., Ingwall J. S., Braunwald E. Recovery from prolonged abnormalities of canine myocardium salvaged from ischemic necrosis by coronary reperfusion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Nov;78(11):7152–7156. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.11.7152. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Retracted]
  22. Nutter D. O., Heymsfield S. B., Glenn J. F. Retraction. Darsee JR, Heymsfield SB, Nutter DO. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and human leukocyte antigen linkage: differentiation of two forms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. N Engl J Med 1979;300:877-82,. N Engl J Med. 1983 Jun 9;308(23):1400–1400. doi: 10.1056/nejm198306093082307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Racker E., Spector M. Warburg effect revisited: merger of biochemistry and molecular biology. Science. 1981 Jul 17;213(4505):303–307. doi: 10.1126/science.6264596. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Relman A. S. Lessons from the Darsee affair. N Engl J Med. 1983 Jun 9;308(23):1415–1417. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198306093082311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Responsibilities of coauthorship. Ann Intern Med. 1983 Aug;99(2):266–267. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-99-2-266. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Rosenfeld S., Dressler D. Transfer factor: a subcellular component that transmits information for specific immune responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1974 Jun;71(6):2473–2477. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.6.2473. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Stampfer M. J., Willett W. C., Colditz G. A., Rosner B., Speizer F. E., Hennekens C. H. A prospective study of postmenopausal estrogen therapy and coronary heart disease. N Engl J Med. 1985 Oct 24;313(17):1044–1049. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198510243131703. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Swan Norman. The exposure of a scientific fraud. New Sci. 1988 Dec 3;120(1641):30–31. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Thelle D. S., Arnesen E., Førde O. H. The Tromsø heart study. Does coffee raise serum cholesterol? N Engl J Med. 1983 Jun 16;308(24):1454–1457. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198306163082405. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Vessey M. P., Lawless M., McPherson K., Yeates D. Neoplasia of the cervix uteri and contraception: a possible adverse effect of the pill. Lancet. 1983 Oct 22;2(8356):930–934. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(83)90451-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Wheelock E. F. Plagiarism and freedom of information laws. Lancet. 1980 Apr 12;1(8172):826–826. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(80)91323-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Williams P. T., Wood P. D., Vranizan K. M., Albers J. J., Garay S. C., Taylor C. B. Coffee intake and elevated cholesterol and apolipoprotein B levels in men. JAMA. 1985 Mar 8;253(10):1407–1411. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Wilson P. W., Garrison R. J., Castelli W. P. Postmenopausal estrogen use, cigarette smoking, and cardiovascular morbidity in women over 50. The Framingham Study. N Engl J Med. 1985 Oct 24;313(17):1038–1043. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198510243131702. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Bulletin of the Medical Library Association are provided here courtesy of Medical Library Association

RESOURCES