However, while Price's data supported the notion of go-go growth in scientific publications, he knew that that kind of growth could not be sustained indefinitely.
"It is just possible," he wrote, "that the tradition of more than 250 years represents a sort of adolescent stage during which every half century science grew out of its order of magnitude, donned a new set of clothes, and was ready to expand again." He further speculated: "Perhaps now a post adolescent quiescence has set in, and such exuberant growth has slowed down and is about to stop upon the attainment of adult stature. After all, five orders of magnitude is rather a lot....It is clear that we cannot go up another two orders of magnitude as we have climbed the last five. If we did, we should have two scientists for every man, woman, child, and dog in the population, and we should ...
