INTRODUCTION 47
The general principle of an antithetic
alternation of generations has now been applied to the special case of the natural
phenomenon known as cancer,” or “ malignant disease.” Even though this had
been in the York case alone, at the hands of Captain Lambelle, it has proved
itself to be capable of solving the enigmas of cancer, of explaining it
scientifically, and of coping with it successfully. Not only so, but in the
sequel it has turned out—and it is no accident—that at its basis this general
principle merges into a certain other one, laid bare by the researches of
Pasteur, van t’Hoff, and Le Bel. This, which relates to the asymmetry of
naturally occurring organic compounds, rests upon a foundation-stone of the
visible universe, the asymmetrical carbon atom. It is this which is the true
and only scientific basis of the science of stereo-chemistry, and, as my researches
have shown for all time, of the sciences of life, embryology and biology. The
problems of cancer were vulnerable along two different lines of
attack—embryology arid stereo-chemistry. While official cancer research has
failed hitherto to follow up either line of attack, the writer, in his private
cancer studies, has developed both of these—the only possible points of
attack—and along both the “divisions” and “brigades” have achieved the complete
overthrow and decisive rout of Cancer.
* (cont. from pg 46) schein, auf die man vorher nicht
gefasst war. Und da sich die Folgerungen nicht nach der Willkür des Autors,
sondern nach ihren eigenen Gesetze entwickeln, so hat es mir oft den Eindruck
gemacht, als ware es gar nicht memo eigene Arbeit, die ich niederschreibe,
sondern als oh ich nut die Arbeit eines Anderen niederschriebe” (From a letter
written to Sir William Thomson [Lord Kelvin] in 1860).