Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 29. (Budapest, 1963)

Dr. Harangby László: Mecsnyikov munkássága és jelentősége az orvostudományban

of phagocytes. The Mechnikov-test raised a tremendous echo all over the world. The first words were the voice of amazement and appreciation and as he returned to Russia, there was established a separate institute at Odessa at his disposal. But neither the world of science, nor the general public did appreciate his investigations for a long time, and the fight started against him soon. At Odessa he was required not to spend any time with his tests, but to work out immidiately medical processes for the treatment of sick sheep and catties. But he was not to be removed from his circle of interests, but inspite of all urging attack and menacing, he kept on building his theory of immunity, and made investigations as to the means of the protection of the organism according to his own conception. Afterwards one of the members of his institute Gamaleja the famous microbiologist, had destroyed a number of sheep by some mistaken anthrax vaccinations, they had to leave Odessa in a hurry and he could still hear the murmur of indignation that he had wasted a lot of money given him for the purpose of treating sick sheep and domestic animals, to such useless creatures as waterfleas and such like. The homeless scientist was received in 1890 by Pasteur, who did not only provide him with an employment, but even with an independent laboratory for his work too. Though Pasteur stood far from Mechnikov % investigations, but he recognised him as a genuine natural-scientist, and a man of genius. Thereby Pasteur: gave a new splendid proof of his extraordinary human greatness assuring Mechnikov s safety for the world of science and the pursued and not understood researcher, looking for asylum, was defended by him with his own glory. He also never separated in his soul from Russia, nevertheless, from that time onwards, France became Mechnikov'% second fatherland, and the Pasteur Institution in Paris became his hospitable home, from where he continued his violent discussions against the great army of those people, attacking the cell theory of his doctrine of immunity. The tremendous importance of his life work consisted chiefly just in that struggle. In my introduction I have so far recalled the fact that-in the vertignous rhythm of the development of bacteriology-the research work for immidiate results were mostly limited to the laboratories, the process of immunity were