Though first a doctor who treated patients, the author became a professor, questioning facts (researching), exciting students (teaching), borrowing ideas (from the breadth of science, statistics, technology, engineering and medicine), and challenging 'how it all works'. Though beginning gently, the question in the book eventually leads fiercely into how research, teaching, practice and service really occur, and to ferocious challenges both inside academia and out in society.

It is hoped that this double-ferocity will be useful: to students wondering about their futures; to physician and scientist parents looking at the possibility of their children following them; to all parents and grandparents worrying about the careers of all offspring; to anyone interested in the processes of discovery, teaching, and service; and for everyone, concerned about the wider implications for education and for society.