REASON 



logically on the previous one so that the discovery only gradually 

 unfolds. Therefore the latter, less spectacular process may be 

 responsible for more advances than has been imphed in the other 

 chapters of this book. Moreover, as Zinsser said : 



" The preparatory accumulation of minor discoveries and of 

 accurately observed details ... is almost as important for the 

 mobilisation of great forward drives as the periodic correlation 

 of these disconnected observations into principles and laws by 

 the vision of genius."^"* 



Often when one looks into the origin of a discovery one finds 

 that it was a much more gradual process than one had imagined. 



In nutritional research, the discovery of the existence of the 

 various vitamins was in a number of instances empirical, but sub- 

 sequent development of knowledge of them was rational. Usually 

 in chemotherapy, after the initial empirical discovery opening up 

 the field, rational experimentation has led to a series of improve- 

 ments, as in the development of sulphathiazole, sulphamerazine, 

 sulphaguanidine, etc., following on the discovery of the thera- 

 peutic value of sulphanilamide, the first compound of this type 

 found to have bacteriostatic properties. 



As described in the Appendix, Fleming followed up a chance 

 observation to discover that the mould Penicillium notatum 

 produced a substance that had bacteriostatic properties and was 

 non-toxic. However, he did not pursue it sufficiently to develop 

 a chemotherapeutic agent and the investigation was dropped. 

 During the latter quarter of the last century and first part of this 

 there were literally dozens of reports of discoveries of antibacterial 

 substances produced by bacteria and fungi.^^ Even penicillin 

 itself was discovered before Fleming or Rorey."^ Quite a number 

 of writers had not only suggested that these products might be use- 

 ful therapeutically but had employed them and in some instances 

 good results seem to have been obtained.^^ But all these empirical 

 discoveries were of little consequence until Florey, by a deliber- 

 ately planned, systematic attack on the problem, produced peni- 

 cillin in a relatively pure and stable form and so was able to 

 demonstrate its great clinical value. Often the original discovery, 

 like the crude ore from the mine, is of little value until it has 

 been refined and fully developed. This latter process, less specta- 

 cular and largely rational, usually requires a diflferent type of 



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