“It’s hurtful,” Offit says of the persistent suggestion that his research has been driven by profit. He also finds it somewhat laughable. “Who ever goes into science,” he asks, “thinking, God, if I could just figure out which of these two viral surface proteins evoke neutralizing antibodies, I’ll be rich beyond my wildest dreams!” He would have made a much better salary, he observes, if he had gone into private practice as a pediatrician after medical school rather than going into research.
