198 AMPHISBAENA 



and separate its constituents, will be recognized as very many 

 different species of molecules, such as proteins, lipids, polysac- 

 charides, nucleic acids, etc. Most of those — and not only the first 

 and last — have a highly specific composition and structure; but 

 how they exist, interact and are held in definite places in the 

 functioning cell is completely obscure. I am certainly no vitaHst 

 in the sense in which this is usually meant; but I cannot stomach 

 people who claim that they have understood and explained 

 "Hamlet" by telHng me how often the word "and" appears in the 

 first act. And I do object to the tremendous noise that is being 

 made about trivial and often meaningless observations. In con- 

 trast to previous times, I believe, many of our reputedly great 

 discoveries are entirely unearned. Also, the morass of alleged 

 facts in which we are suffocating has brought it about that those 

 who may speculate cannot do so any longer. Look at the enor- 

 mous variety in the shapes of organisms, organs, even cellular 

 components — ^where is the biochemistry of specific shape? Where 

 is the biochemistry of cell differentiation? Is there a separate 

 nucleotide code for your fingerprints which are different from 

 mine? Is it a pairing error in position 79 which has produced the 

 visions of Blake? It is above all against this shabby mechanization 

 of our scientific imagination, which kills all ability to notice the 

 unforeseen, that I protest, against this mat finish over a chaos 

 of unrecognized ignorance, this butcher-like brutality with things 

 that cry for gentle caution. Our young people are being brought 

 up in the belief that "they never had it so good". They — and 

 especially the best ones — are being condemned to a future of 

 disillusion and discouragement. 



y: 



That's what you say. I am not at all discouraged; quite the contrary. 

 I only have to think of the unprecedented possibilities that are 

 opening before us. When we know the Universal Code, we shall 

 soon learn how to interfere with certain nucleotide sequences in 

 DNA, how to change them specifically and thereby to produce 

 desirable genetic changes. Artificial insemination with the stored 



