Moving a lot slower than you, Bill... quantum slower.

If you recall, my secret little objective to using MatMatic was to see if I can recreate (and thus unleash the mysteries of) that first skin shader that came out with VSS initially. Whilst you think it average, i'm totally blown away by it. So, I'm going to see if I can create that material in MatMatic, thus discovering what works and how.

Well, "discovering" might be a strong, somewhat pretentious term, given my predisposition for arriving at erroneous conclusions, but hey, I do think it's a worthy exercise.

Opened your manual to the Node Reference section. Must just be enormously gratifying that someOne is actually reading that. Noticed that there is no such node as Math_Functions(Add). Just Add. Okay, so I:
def makeSurface():
  s = Surface(1,0,0,0)
  s.Diffuse_Value = Add(0,0)
  return s

Oh hey, this is cool (and somewhat unexpected). The actual value of the Diffuse_Value channel was defined in the
s = Surface(1,0,0,0)
statement, and then, attaching an Add node which does nothing (0 + 0, as in the shader) was accomplished with the
s.Diffuse_Value = Add(0,0)
statement. Remembering, of course, that naming a node creates that node. If a more efficient way doesn't exist (as in what multiply seemed to do further up in a previous example). Cool.

Mind you,
s.Diffuse_Value = .5
will replace what
s = Surface(1,0,0,0)
set.
So, it's about naming a node. Here's what I'm zeroing in on: how these nodes will all connect. Simple connections first. Name a node, and it will create the node, and then connect it to the channel on the other side of the = sign. Or whatever. Gonna have to see how nodes connect to each other!

Monterey/Mint21.x/Win10 - Blender3.x - PP11.3(cm) - Musescore3.6.2

Wir sind gewohnt, daß die Menschen verhöhnen was sie nicht verstehen
[it is clear that humans have contempt for that which they do not understand] 

Metaphor of Chooks