[Science and art in the supervision of a thesis for a degree]

The thesis required for the licenciature, master's degree and doctorate in any field of university education involves three components: the adviser, the student, and the research project that constitutes the subject matter of the thesis. In this paper the author examines in detail how each of these should be in the ideal situation and the defects they can have in real situations. Unfortunately, he observes, many institutions are neglecting--for a variety of reasons--the importance and significance of a well worked out thesis, and thus vitiating its original purpose in addition to depriving the student of an excellent opportunity for exercising his intelligence and imagination, and his adviser of one for imparting to him the cognitive, analytic and personal qualities needed to do good work. The article emphasizes that, particularly in medicine and biology, the research required for any thesis, done under a concerned and conscientious adviser, helps to produce a scientist who is truly able, studious, disciplined and, above all, humane. This, says the author, is how, from that combination of knowledge and behavior, of science and art, the student and his adviser unite to produce a thesis, a research project, the results of which can be of direct or indirect benefit to humanity.