Thomas Hodgkin and Hodgkin's disease. Two paradigms appropriate to medicine today.

Thomas Hodgkin was an investigator whose contributions extended over a wide range of medicine. While he is known for Hodgkin's disease, this was not his major interest. That this is so has more to do with his successors than him. He had a highly committed social conscience and was outspoken in advocacy of his positions. This greatly limited his professional career. The history of Hodgkin's disease is one of hypothesis generation, which allowed for its effective treatment even without an understanding of its etiology, illustrating the approximate nature of scientific discovery and the importance of chance in historical attribution. Hodgkin, as a scientist, healer, and socially committed individual, embodied the many characteristics that are desirable for today's physician, while the evolution of knowledge about Hodgkin's disease and its treatment is an instructive model for future medical advances.