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

Dr. Harangby László: Mecsnyikov munkássága és jelentősége az orvostudományban

It was proved with certainty that the Bacillus Bulgaricus and other related bacteria influenced the intestinal putrefaction in an advantageous way and this fact explains the good effect of sour milk upon the function of intestine. However, we might consider Mechnikov's further conclusions exaggerated and onesided, having their source mostly in the extravagances of an aging scientist, who was himself not a physician though he was always moving on the dividing lines of medical science, or was proceeding with his researchwork directly in the field of medicine. This explains the ascetic way of life and mode of nourishment of his later years, with which he wanted to prove on himself with fanatism-which was always a habit of his-that process of aging as well as death itself might be help up; this hower, he managed to do not beyond his 71 year. Mechnikov is one of the most attacked and most disadvantageous^ characterized scientist. Some of the medical biographists present him as a confused, fantastic, unbalaced character, and as a charlatan working in the field of medicine for cheapest succecces having never obtained any result based on rigorously scientific basis. In my exposition above, I tried to enlighten Mechnikov's character and motives of his activity and prove that they are but few scientist whose scientific activity may be interpreted in such an uniform way, and might be brought in connection with such deep human features, as just in the case of Mechnikov. How can all the distortions which twisted the truth about him and his life be explained? Mechnikov became a researcher of medical sciences but he was as far from being a physician as Pasteur. But at any rate it was first of all physicians, who were his opponents in his desperate discussions; all these physicians became jealous and endeavored to discover all those weaknesses which could be explained by the lack of special medical notion in the strict sense of the word. Here we might argue that Pasteur's position was the same. Pasteur, however, was surrounded by his excellent and ready-to-all medical disciples; doctor Roux, Chaniberland and a number of others, and he enjoyed the protection of the whole French nation enraptured by his successes. But who would have taken Mechnikov s side and who would stood up for him, the revolutionary minded scientist? Perhaps tzarist Russia which had hated all free spirits and drove him out, at last, too? Or per-