Career perspective: Kenneth J. Collins

Abstract

A career interest in thermoregulation research has included wide contrasts in the subjects of enquiry, extending from heat stroke to hypothermia, special investigations in many different purpose-built climatic chambers, laboratorybased biomedical studies together with hospital practice, and field work in tropical climates to physiological surveys on urban populations in temperate environments. The scientific process and need to focus on careful planning of experiments, using the most appropriate methods, selecting the right controls and eventually applying correct statistical analysis do not always follow a smooth transition, as illustrated in this account. The result of endeavour to resolve a human environmental problem, however, is greatly satisfying, and sometimes becomes a unique experience when the solution reveals new fundamental facts.