OPENING REMARKS 



P. B. Medawar 



Even though it makes a sad beginning to the Conference, our 

 first thought on this occasion must be of the name that was missing 

 when the Director read his roll call. Although Peter Gorer's dis- 

 coveries and ideas will pervade all our discussions, now and for 

 many years to come, we shall miss him grievously as a colleague 

 and as a friend. Gorer had for many years been the world's leading 

 authority on the serology and serological genetics of homograft 

 reactions. He began his work in 1932, at University College, under 

 J. B. S. Haldane; and there, using first a human serum and then a 

 rabbit immune serum, he demonstrated isoantigenic variation in 

 the red cells of mice. Very soon after he was able to demonstrate 

 immune isoantibodies in mice, and in his classical papers from the 

 Lister Institute in 1937 and 193 8 he gave us aU but conclusive proof 

 of the immunological character of the reaction against homografts 

 of tumours. His work attracted little attention, at all events in 

 England; the war came, and his thoughts turned to other things; 

 and it was not until after the war, in collaboration with his brilliant 

 colleagues at Bar Harbor, that he began that detailed serological 

 and genetical analysis of tissue transplantation in mice that under- 

 pins the entire theory of tissue transplantation. The more recent 

 developments of his own and his pupils' work are very familiar to 

 you: the demonstrations of passive immunity toward leukotic 

 tumours, and of the vulnerability of lymphoid and myeloid cells 

 to the action of humoral antibodies; the demonstration and titra- 

 tion of cy to toxins; the analysis of the mysterious **X-factor"; the 

 work that has raised the possibihty of a synergic co-operation be- 

 tween humoral antibodies and sensitized lymphoid cells. But 



