The Scientific Method (1954)

[Music] we live today in an age of science and they're dazzled by the vast technology at has created but the elaborate paraphernalia of the scientists is nothing more than a tool for thinking for a systematic way of looking at things and thinking problems through that we call the scientific method it is this that has given us the remarkable achievements of science in modern times what is this scientific method we know that a scientist gains knowledge through observation of physical facts he employs many devices from the microscope to the atom smasher to look at physical objects and events he works with intricate measuring and Counting devices he makes use of any number of experimental techniques but all of these are merely aids to observation most important of all a scientist has to think about what he sees to reason a problem through from observed facts to observable results to find out how a scientist thinks through a problem let's consider an example from modern medicine medical science today owes much to one of the great scientific achievements of recent times the discovery of penicillin a wonder drug now saving thousands of lives this is penicillin a powerful destroyer of deadly bacteria that is produced from an ordinary mode until a few years ago penicillin was unknown the discovery was a remarkable achievement of the scientific method it began in the year 1928 in London in the laboratory of dr. Alexander Fleming a British bacteriologist for a number of years Fleming had been seeking a drug that would destroy types of bacteria that cause infection just now he was growing a number of colonies of these infectious bacteria for his experiments scientists call these growths bacterial cultures this day he found that one of his bacterial cultures had become polluted a spot of mold had developed in the dish spoiling the culture dr. Flemming was about to throw the polluted dish away when something stopped him he noticed that around the mold there was a ring of clear jelly free of bacteria examining the jelly more closely he began to wonder if something in the mold was killing the bacteria was it possible that here was a substance that could be used to prevent infection this was a question worth investigating as a gentleman here's something interesting take a look at this dish of this oh yes got a bit no Lee hasn't it that's too bad after all it happens all the time no take a closer look you notice anything all day why why I see that ring why oh yes it's clear isn't it right I'd say is something in that mold is destroying these stops in that dish that is interesting what do you make of it I don't know I think it's worth looking into it looks good very good well I say do you think perhaps there's something there we ought to follow up on perhaps and but that's gentlemen we've got a drug that will destroy infectious bacteria but the whole we know we got work to do yeah dr. Fleming and his assistants undertook a number of experiments to test his idea that the mold might be a weapon against disease first they introduced the mold infested broth into other cultures of bacteria later they found that in many of these cultures - the bacteria were destroyed but dr. Fleming wondered if it killed bacteria might it not also be harmful to living tissues to determine this they injected the drug into animals they found that the animals were not harmed by the drug then mixing it with human blood dr. Flemming determined that it did not harm that germ killing cells in the bloodstream dr. Flemming reached the conclusion that he had found a drug that would destroy bacteria and that some evidence indicated would not harm human tissues he published a paper describing his experiments but this was only the beginning ten years later another British scientist dr. Howard Florey conducted a number of experiments to verify Fleming's findings and then along with other scientists developed penicillin as a drug of amazing power against disease but let's review this remarkable discovery first a scientist begins with the perception of a problem dr. Fleming had been trying to find a drug that would prevent infection this combined with his long training and observation enabled him to recognize a problem in the accident of the mold polluting the dish the second step was to make preliminary observations this brime to the third stage and scientific method thinking of a hypothesis or possible solution to the problem now came the fourth stage of scientific method the long series of experiments which dr. Fleming and later dr. Florey and others carried on to test the validity of dr. Fleming's hypothesis this led to the final stage the solution of the problem penicillin was established as a drug of amazing effectiveness against infection these then are the elements of the scientific method first perception of the problem second preliminary observations to suggest solutions third the development of one or more hypotheses fourth the testing of these hypotheses through extended observation or experimentation fifth the choice of a workable solution to the problem this is the method the scientist applies to any problem in which facts can be observed and this is also the method of common-sense thinking people use the same method to solve all the everyday problems having to do with observable facts for instance scientific thinking is as necessary to a garage mechanic as it is to a scientist well Josie just died on me I say the gas lines clogged you think so how do you know well it could be couldn't it yes it could be but it could be any number of other things too the first thing a mechanic has to do is determine what the problem is next he makes a preliminary investigation to find possible solutions then he develops his hypotheses next he tests these hypotheses discarding them one by one if they prove false until finally he hits upon the right solution to the problem with problems of this kind of course almost everyone tries to think systematically but some people find it hard to apply the scientific method to all the other problems that can be solved through observation and experimentation did you hear there's another epidemic down at the south end of town oh no I think the town ought to do something about conditions down there do something what can they do look at the kind of people that live down there mean you can't just blame people for bad living conditions for filth and disease and things like that I think you can after all that's the way that kind of people like to live I'm not so sure I think the town ought to do a study of those conditions and get at the cause of it some people let prejudice dictate the answers to problems but thinking people realize that solving such problems requires systematic observation and the gathering of many facts all the factors bearing on the problem have to be investigated then the facts have to be studied to find the best ways of solving the problem and finally the most promising solutions have to be tested in practice this scientific method of thinking applies to any everyday problem which lends itself to observation and testing to problems of business as well as to problems of family life to problems of law enforcement as well as to problems of making the decisions of the community this is the method of common-sense thinking fully as much as it is the method of science but the scientist uses this method for a deeper purpose to gain an understanding of the world in which we live for instance long before men were able to combat disease the causes of disease had to be discovered through years of scientific investigation the French scientist Louie Pasteur began his work as a practical effort to stop the diseases attacking silkworms and certain animals in France systematic observation led him to the hypothesis that the cause of disease might be found in the bacteria present and diseased organisms he devoted much of his life to testing this hypothesis to a succession of careful experiments with animals this intensive experimental work eventually enabled him to establish his hypothesis as a demonstrated theory that bacteria are in fact the cause of disease this scientific discovery brought about a revolution in the practice of medicine enabling modern medical specialists to make great advances in understanding and conquering disease gene perception of problems careful observation imaginative development of hypotheses rigorous testing and experimentation choice of the most workable solutions these are the steps essential to the scientific method of solving problems and while most of us are not engaged like the Siam the mysteries of the universe we still may use his method a line for this the scientific method is a tool for clearing and effective action