Fourth Dimension of Biomedicine, The

The three dimensions of biomedicine that we are familiar with need no amplification: patient care, research and teaching will preoccupy all of our professional lives in one form or another. The critical fourth dimension, which is "Activism," represents a series of links to the greater world outside. In this short lecture, I intend to view this arena through the prism of my personal involvement in two Twentieth Century physician movements, designed to alter national and international policy so as to cut the risk of massive destruction of life and health. As I recount the impact of such movements, the meaning of the "Fourth Dimension" will become clear.