LIFE OF ELIE METCHNIKOFF 209 



munity. Among concrete examples of its application, 

 he quoted the indications concerning the evolution of 

 an infectious disease provided by the quantity of 

 leucocytes in the blood, and the process employed 

 by certain surgeons to diminish the danger of infec- 

 tion during an operation : just as, in case of an enemy 

 menace, the Government mobilise an army, certain 

 surgeons employ divers means to attract an army of 

 phagocytes and to stimulate their activity in case 

 any microbes should penetrate into the wound. 



In 1909 he gave another lecture at Stuttgart, " A 

 Conception of Nature and of Medical Science," in 

 which he summed up his two works Etudes sur la 

 nature humaine and Essais optimistes. The title 

 of this lecture was intended to emphasise his view of 

 human nature, according to which " Man, as he 

 appeared on the earth, is an animal and pathological 

 being belonging to the realm of medicine." But he 

 ended his paper by the same optimistic thought which 

 illumines the whole philosophy of his later years. 

 " With the help of Science, Man can correct the im- 

 perfections of his nature." 



He unveiled these imperfections and the ills which 

 proceed from them, not only from a love of truth or 

 scientific honesty, but always with the object of 

 finding means to combat them. He never allowed 

 sight to be lost of the fact that Science lights up 

 the tortuous and painful path which leads to an issue 

 that suffering humanity will find by gradually widen- 

 ing the limits of knowledge with the help of Work and 

 of Will. 



Thus all his writings offer us encouragement and 

 support. 



