Jerzy Neyman was a Polish mathematician and statistician. He introduced the modern concept of the confidence interval in statistical hypothesis testing and developed the framework for null hypothesis testing. He also devised the method by which the FDA currently tests medications before approval. Neyman began his career at several institutions in Warsaw (Poland), later working at University College London and the University of California, Berkeley.
في 1939, while teaching at Berkeley, something happened that left him stunned and forever changed both his life and that of one of his students—George Dantzig. At the beginning of one of Neyman’s lectures, Dantzig arrived very late. On the board, Neyman had written two famous examples of unsolved mathematical problems. When Dantzig entered, he assumed the problems were homework assignments and copied them into his notebook. Dantzig later said that the problems “seemed to be a little harder than usual,” but within a few days, he had worked out complete solutions and turned them in as if they were regular homework.
Six weeks later, Dantzig was astonished when Professor Neyman visited him, thrilled to inform him that he had prepared one of the solutions for publication in a prestigious international mathematics journal. Not only that, but years later another researcher, Abraham Wald, published a paper resolving the second problem, naming Dantzig as coauthor.
What had happened? Because Dantzig was not burdened by restrictive information, he approached the problems with an open and persevering mindset, which allowed him to find the solutions. He was convinced he had to solve them—no matter what.
I bring up this story to highlight the importance of not being intimidated by limitations, conventional thinking, or the “official” paradigm. Many people will tell you what you can or cannot do, what you should or should not attempt. But it is essential not to be swayed by restrictions, negativity, or doubt when facing challenging problems or pursuing research that goes against mainstream paradigms.
Making decisions with profound implications is always difficult—especially when they run counter to dominant thought. We feel so uncomfortable that we often avoid making them altogether. Why? Because deciding carries the possibility of making mistakes, and mistakes make us vulnerable. For that reason, many people let life unfold without intervening, accepting what is imposed, acting automatically—lukewarm toward life itself.
This attitude brings serious consequences. Chief among them is that we become passive spectators of our own existence, losing touch with our true essence. We no longer steer our own course; instead, circumstances, the environment, or even the choices of others determine it. We fool ourselves into believing that by not deciding we avoid mistakes, but in reality, we are making a fateful choice: the choice not to act, not to speak, not to question.
The significance of this point is underscored in Bronnie Ware’s book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, where the first regret is: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
ومن المفارقات, when we make a decision and things go wrong, we feel responsible. حتى الآن, when problems arise from not having acted, our sense of responsibility seems weaker, almost diluted—we deceive ourselves. What is truly dangerous is not making mistakes, but refusing to decide, and ending up living a life designed by others.
This editorial is therefore a tribute to past researchers of the great Hispanic community who, in one way or another, began this path and passed the torch for us to continue: pioneers such as Dr. Enrique Vila, دكتور. Jacobo Grinberg, والدكتور. José Miguel Gaona, as well as the many published works, including this month’s featured article that we present in summary form. All of them have been investigating and contributing knowledge that supports us. Humbly, we incorporate their work and carry it forward with determination, alongside more than fifty healthcare professionals across fifteen hospitals.
كزافييه ميلو دكتوراه
Director Fundador
مؤسسة ايكلوبي