PREFACE ix
the
credit of the original observer, who, indeed, ought to have congratulated
himself on the—for his welfare— fortunate turn of events. All this has reference
to Great Britain and America.
Then
came the time, the “ divisions” and “brigades” being complete and ready, and
eager to take the field, when the general principle of an antithetic
alternation of generations, with an actual tangible continuity of germ-cells
from generation to generation, had to be applied to the special case of cancer
or malignant disease. Since it has long been one of my maxims in research to
reap and garner the harvest completely, leaving as little gleanings as possible
for others, this application of the general principle could not be left undone.
Cancer stood defiantly in the way, and an immediate decisive campaign against
it was inevitable.
New
conclusions were reached, one after the other, and in due course these were
published. Mankind in general, and medical mankind in particular, were supposed
to be waiting the advent of some new scientific discovery concerning the nature
of cancer, in the hope that this would lead ultimately to success in its
non-operative medical treatment. The reception given to the new conclusions in
Great Britain was hardly in accord with that which, in a scientific era, might
have been foreseen. The scientific investigator might have been attacking some
of the most sacred and deeply rooted religious and moral convictions of mankind
concerning cancer or malignant disease. The physical martyrdom was lacking; but
there are, as I can testify from experience, many more ways than one of burning
a scientific man at the stake.
Two
of the discoveries referred to by von Baer—those of Copernicus and Harvey—had
this feature in common: