Scribe?

I figured it out. I'm a scribe. Or maybe a secretary, I'm not sure which.

I have been helping my husband write his doctoral thesis proposal. He's a verbal processor, so sometimes I let him talk while I type what he says. It makes the painful process much easier for him.

I have learned about dendrites, endothelium cells, neurovascular coupling, electrical signals, blood flow, and pericytes just from helping him type and explain concepts to me in order to ensure they are simply enough expressed to be understood by people outside his own field.

In ancient times, the scribes understood quite a lot of information including the law because, as they copied down the words, they learned the material inside and out. I have not reached this level of expertise, but perhaps one day I will be if I continue transcribing doctoral level work.

This reminds me a little of the mom in Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes. Mr. Gilbreth was an efficiency expert and, together with his wife, he would find the most efficient techniques to move and do work in factories, etc. He even developed a time efficient way of bathing and taught his children how to bathe within the time of a record (not a long record, apparently). He died while his family of twelve was still not yet grown, and Mrs. Gilbreth began traveling and showing his work to others. People who were the recipients of her presentations were often surprised to see a woman show up to their conferences and events thinking that she would be a man. In those days women were not often involved in that kind of work.

So, for now I'm acting as scribe and slowly becoming more knowledgeable about the inner workings of the brain.