On the occasion of my ninth birthday, half a lifetime ago, my beloved Uncle Lenny gave me a book called The Human Body, which still has a place on the shelves that hold my important books. I called it “The Body Book,” and carried it everywhere I went until I had memorized everything in it, cover to cover. I was fascinated not only by the descriptions and illustrations, but also by the idea that each part of the body was uniquely designed to do exactly what was required of it. Form followed function, and I couldn’t get enough. That, parenthetically, was also the year I decided I was, someday, going to become a doctor.
When I left for college years later, there was no question what I would study. Form followed function: A girl who is interested in how the body works studies biology and, more specifically, physiology. I took every single physiology course offered at my university, including cell, human, animal, abnormal, and more. I was absolutely fascinated by how everything fit together and worked in such a spectacular and elegant way. Kidney, heart, liver, muscle, brain. And, as if that wasn’t enough, I was also spellbound by the realization that gaining insight into how and why things go wrong helps us to understand better how and when things work right.
As much as I loved the science, and I really did, it was the design that drew me in so deeply. Everywhere I looked, form followed function. I was transfixed.
I discovered the words of the architect Louis Sullivan [a teacher of Frank Lloyd Wright]: “It is the pervading law…of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function.” From the time I was young, I recognized that science had engaged my mind, but it was not until later that I understood how the art of science had captured my heart.
And the connection with magical fruit…?
Long before homo sapiens understood enough chemistry to know that there is something uniquely nourishing about beans — namely that they are rich in both fiber and protein simultaneously—, humans already knew that there was something special about them. You don’t need formal training in cardiology to know that beans are good for your heart; as any child can tell you, most of us know that by the time we’re in the second grade!
Certain truths are apparent long before we understand the science inside them. The artistic expression of these truths dates back centuries at least. In story and song, poetry and prose, the value of beans is made clear. Jack and the Beanstalk is not the only example; the literary traditions of many cultures tell tales about the magical properties of beans. Which means that we have been aware of this connection for a very long time. The reason is clear to me: Beans are a nourishing and valuable foodstuff. So eat your beans at every meal.
“Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart, the more you eat, the more you fart.
The more you fart, the better you feel, so eat your beans at every meal.
Beans, beans the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot.
The more you toot, the better you feel, so eat your beans at every meal.”