opinion of taxonomy (was peer review)

[Una Smith]

On Thu, 19 Feb 1998, Robin Leech wrote:

>Many scientists and medicos have the opinion that taxonomy is a
>"fossilized science" ...

The only people I have ever heard express this unflattering opinion call
themselves taxonomists.  And I don't lack contact with medical, molecular,
developmental, or cell biology researchers, what have you.  Yale is far
stronger in these areas than in organismal biology, and for the most part
the researchers are aware that their work involves description, diagnosis,
and identification, and that this work, and its product, is fundamentally
no different than the work of "traditional" taxonomists.  As far as I can
tell, "gene jockeys" et al. *are* taxonomists.

        Una Smith