Work on biotensegrity started in the mid-1970s, when I was a young orthopedic surgeon trying to understand just what I was doing as a 'body mechanic'. Medical education and, even more particularly, surgical training, is probably the most anti-intellectual training experience outside of military combat training. Like combat situations, life and limb are at stake and there is no room for learning from your mistakes, but only from the mistakes of others. You are overloaded with facts, given little time to think, too much to do, and little time to do it in. Original thought and experimentation is discouraged and usually punished rather than rewarded. It is only afterward, after all exams are completed, can you begin to think for yourself. The wonder of it is that any of us do. Now that I am retired from clinical practice, I have time to do some thinking, I hope it is not too late.