viii THE ENZYME TREATMENT OF CANCER
the earth had to describe its path round the sun many
times before the Holy Chair allowed it to be spoken of publicly.”
At that time, in view of the history of science, it was
quite anticipated, that the new facts concerning the history and continuity of
the germ-cells from generation to generation would obtain a hostile welcome and
reception, and that their discoverer would undoubtedly win a reward for
all his patient labours similar to the
recompenses meted out in past times to all those pioneers, termed by Robert
Browning, “ God’s elect,” from Khalif Al-Mamun, who dared to measure the earth
and to describe it as a globe, down to Pasteur, who in our own day, among other
brilliant deeds, caused “chemistry to take possession of medicine “ (Duclaux).
But the anathema did not come then it was reserved for another occasion, and
one of far greater import for human welfare and hopes. On the one hand, some of the germ-cell finds could be
annexed — apparently — by others; on the other, they seemed to fit in so
well with Weismann’s conceptions of a hypothetical germ-plasm—a thing nonexistent—that
to many it appeared possible to incorporate them with the doctrines of this
distinguished zoologist. To another, again, they looked like furnishing in fact
a confirmation of the vague speculations of Richard Owen, and this has led to
the assignment of the actual work and discoveries to him, who actually never
did any investigations at all into the history of the germ-cells. In fine, in
one way or another, the germ-cell finds were disposed of and dispersed. Some of
them—some of the more fundamental points—were cast aside and ignored; others,
the move obvious, were annexed or parcelled out, and ascribed to this, that, or
the other embryologist or zoologist, and practically nothing at all was left
over to