Also, inspiration might have just as easily come from another source such as reading a book on chaos theory, from nature such as seeing spores floating free from fungi or a dream.

It makes a nice anecdote but is not the basis for scientific or medical breakthroughs.

There is a lot of romanticisation in the replies.

The scientist will have spent years studying the theoretical background and in clinical practice and had identified the weakness of the previous hypothesis. The new formulation will have been down to 99% perspiration and, at best, 1% inspiration.

I gave a talk about this, and a bit of a history lesson, at DjangoCon US 2023. www.youtube.com/watch?v=57zR...