During the past decade, while government and the private sector have emphasized the need for primary-care physicians, another manpower problem of great importance has developed, almost unnoticed. There has been a clear decline in the number of physicians participating in biomedical research. The evidence of this decline and a discussion of its implications appear in this issue of the Journal, in a Special Article by Wyngaarden, a Sounding Board by DeGroot and Siegler, and an Occasional Note by Levine. The reasons for the trend are complex, and its implications are debatable. For example, it could be argued that the . . .