IN ECUADOR, MID-'80s

                            Linda (and Myrl) span the northern and southern hemispheres.

I'm just about to drive to Seattle to help out at Fred Hutch.  I thought youall  might be interested in some of the scientic literature they give me to read.  Here is a typical (well, not REALLY typical) article.  The title reads:

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 as a Marker for Malignant Vascular Tumors and Mesothelioma: An Immunohistochemical Study of 262 Vascular Endothelial and 1640 Nonvascular Tumors (by five different authors: four MDs and a Ph.D).

Now, I count 26 words in that title.  A month ago I would have recognized 14 of them, counting the numbers.  After diligent study and attending countless seminars I now recognize nearly all of them, although I could define only about half.  Progress, you say?  Well, the first paragraph drops the following biochemical  bomb on the unsuspecting reader: "Vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (VEGFR2) is a type V receptor tyrosine kinase mainly known to be expressed in vascular endothelial cells and encoded by the KDR gene."  Reading this paper reminds me of my days attempting to learn to read Russian. I gave up on Russian, but I will not give up on this stuff.  This is more important.  Besides, sometimes it's so obscure it's actually funny.