ABBOT GREGOR MENDEL 9 



choice. It is said, had he published his works 

 at one of the big academies, his law would have 

 been recognised quickly. This explanation is, how- 

 ever, not sufficient. We know to-day something 

 about the correspondence of Mendel, and that he 

 communicated to the great botanist and biologist 

 Karl von Nageli all the details of his discoveries. 

 But Nageli, who was through his acuteness rightly 

 much esteemed as a naturalist, not only did not 

 recognise the value and far-reaching importance of 

 Mendel's law, but he even apparently ignored it. 

 Science, however, had to progress, and it was not 

 until some fragments of Mendel's treasures of know- 

 ledge had been discovered by others that attention 

 was attracted to the great Master himself. Then 

 enquiries into past writings on the matter, instituted 

 to see if some predecessor had not previously got hold 

 of the thread of these phenomena, as yet but frag- 

 mentarily known, resulted after long research in the 

 discovery of Mendel's work. It was soon apparent 

 how deep and embracing, and far in advance of his 

 time, or even of the generation which succeeded him, 

 were his studies on Heredity. 



As the result of this discovery a wholly unknown 

 man became suddenly a famous celebrity. Mendel's 

 law was enunciated and discussed everywhere, 

 especially in England, where principally his experi- 

 ments brought forth fruit and were most fully 

 appreciated. Few serious refutations met the law. 

 On the contrary, a universal enthusiasm lifted the 

 man, who was in the deepest sense modest, to a 

 pinnacle of fame which only few attain. 



