Economics and My Liver

Literature, History and Economics, three subjects which I think I will like, three subjects which I didn’t read in Junior College because I though I was better in the sciences, three subjects which I will try to read in University to satisfy my intellectual curiosity. How ironic, how strange, how sad!

I remember during my mid-terms in Junior College, when the horror and regret I faced when I chose Biology over Economics had reached its crescendo, (try memorising page after page of gibberish --- and yes, to me, the difference between a plant cell and an animal cell is gibberish) I decided to do something outrageous: I would, using what little I knew about economics, answer my biology essay with economics jargon and concepts. The exact question eludes my memory, but I remember it was something about the functions of the liver. (non-biology students will be surprised by how many pages of crap you can write about one small organ.)

I explained how a combination of specialisation, division of labour and economies of scale vis-à-vis specific liver cells could lead to allocative efficiency in the production of hormones, blood proteins and other products. I think I mentioned marginal utility as well, just for good measure. And of course, I made it a point to use the phrase “ceteris paribus” at least once per paragraph, for I just loved the sound of anything Latin (classy).

It was a move that certainly wouldn’t endear me to any economics teacher (I massacred the subject), but seeing that I didn’t have one, I wasn’t overly concerned. And the final twist? I received a surprisingly good grade for the essay. The marker must have known shit about economics too.