[SIGCIS-Members] Origin of the word "throughput"

[Lambert, Kevin]

Dear all,

My name is Kevin Lambert, an historian of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century
physic-mathematics with an interest in the history of the computer and
someone who very much appreciates your exchanges.  I have recently had the
following inquiry (see below) directed my way.  Can anybody help?

Prof. Lambert,
> 
> I am a contributing editor at Popular Science, and I am working on a feature
> for the magazine for which I'm trying to find the origin of the term "high
> throughput."  Andy Jewett at Harvard (who was my advisor for my MA thesis at
> NYU a few years ago) suggested I contact you.
> 
> I have asked a few bioinformatics people where "high throughput" comes from,
> because the first time I learned about it was through genomics and drug
> discovery.  They couldn't answer.  I am now wondering if it is a computing
> term-- I know that "high throughput computing" exists-- that was adapted for
> biology.  Andy suggested I check with you on the computing connection.
> 
> Any ideas on the origin of this term?  If not, any suggestions on who might
> know?  I've run multiple book/journal article searches and haven't come up
> with anything useful.
> 
> I realize this is very short notice right before the holidays, but if you have
> time to respond sometime tomorrow or by early next week, I'd be very grateful.
> If you'd like to learn more about my project, I'm happy to explain on the
> phone.
> 
> Thanks very much,
> Brooke
> 
> -- 
> ___________________
> Brooke Borel
> www.brookeborel.com <http://www.brookeborel.com>
> (001) 646.262.4346 <tel:646.262.4346>
twitter: @brookeborel