54 CICATRIZATION OF WOUNDS 



sometimes and even quite often foimd, the extreme dryness 

 of which is attenuated by portraits, short biographies, and 

 reproductions of old engravings, historically connected with 

 the text. Bayliss' remarkable Principles of General Physiology^ 

 for example, is a Hving and fascinating book, full of pictures 

 which relax the mind of the student. In America, excellent 

 text-books such as Practical Physiological Chemistry^ by Hawk 

 and Bergeim, and Applied Chemistry^ by Morse, are illustrated 

 with portraits of the scientists whose works are cited. 



But there is no attempt to expose the mechanism, the 

 genesis of a work, the interest of which, if it exists, can be 

 quite independent of the value of the effort or of the result. 

 I will, therefore, in the following pages, report my experiments 

 and. results pubhshed in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, 

 without ehminating the intermediary stages of my researches. 

 The reader will thus be able to follow the evolution of the work 

 in my mind and the succession of ideas and reasoning. I will 

 not vulgarize nor simplify, I will develop instead of shortening, 

 and will reintroduce in part the personal element which had 

 been smothered and hidden. The reader must excuse me if 

 the subject is mediocre; my choice is necessarily limited to my 

 own experiments, and this restriction reduces its interest. 



Towards the end of 19 14 I found myself at Compiegne as 

 Lieutenant commanding Section R.V.F. B. 26, in charge of 

 victualling the 6ist Reserve Division. At the same period. 

 Dr. Carrel was transforming the Hotel du Rond Royal into 

 Front Hospital no. 21. This hospital was destined to become 

 a centre of research, for people were beginning to realize that 

 it might be useful to be able to recommend officially certain 

 methods for the treatment of infected wounds and that a 

 selection amongst those employed was necessary. Professional 

 surgeons adapted themselves rapidly to circumstances, and 

 owing to their experience and their knowledge inspired no 

 fears. This was not the case, however, with the general 



