Dear Readers,

       A few months ago my wife was looking for some papers when instead of the papers, she found a stack of gift certificates for ice cream we had intended to give as gifts. A quick glance at the certificates revealed that they expired the next day. Not being one to lose money intentionally, we hurried to the ice cream store to redeem the certificates for a lot of ice cream. It was fortunate that she found the certificates on that day. Some might even call it serendipity—searching for something but stumbling upon an unexpected finding of even greater value.¹ This happens in science all the time, but few are willing to admit it. It is not “politically correct” for famous scientists to admit that important discoveries were made “by accident.” Medications such as Viagra^®, Lipitor^®, antidepressants, chemotherapy drugs, sulfa drugs, penicillin, and many others were discovered when someone was looking for one thing, yet found something entirely different. Accidental discovery is not the complete story. The investigator must recognize what has been uncovered. At the end of each e-mail our colleague, Dr. Diane Krasner, has a quote by Louis Pasteur, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Therefore, it must be in science. One must be able to recognize the accidental discoveries to take advantage of them. Has this ever happened to you? Have you been taking care of a patient or conducting a clinical investigation and come upon results that did not make any sense or did not seem to fit into any accepted guidelines? Did the results of a treatment seem too unusual to consider much less discuss with colleagues? When it does happen, remember what Claude Bernard, the 19th century founder of experimental medicine said: “If an idea presents itself to us, we must not reject it simply because it does not agree with the logical deductions of a reigning theory.”

       If you should have a “serendipitous moment” and recognize something different, pursue it. Review the literature to see if anyone else might admit to having the same results or finding. Study the science of what you have noted to try to understand the basis for the outcome. If it is a technique, try it again. If it is a treatment, try it again. Do you get the same results? If you do, share the information with colleagues. Do not be afraid to get opinions from others about your findings. More importantly, do not be discouraged by the reaction you receive. Remember great discoverers such as William Harvey, Joseph Lister, Ignatz Philipp Semmelweis, Alexander Flemming, Thomas Edison, and others were initially ridiculed and ignored by the establishment until the true value of their work was appreciated. One does not have to be a professional researcher or be in a heavily funded laboratory to recognize new findings—you just need to be alert to all that is going on around you, be aware that “unusual” findings may be significant, and be willing to investigate further. Serendipity may lead those with a “prepared mind” to many exciting discoveries.