THE DISEASE OF THE MORTS-FLATS [FLACHERIE] 175 



behind the disease which he thought he had conquered, 

 another redoubtable disease, and one about which he 

 as yet knew nothing, we can understand why Pasteur 

 experienced and exhibited a moment of despair. The 

 public, to which one shows only the finished work, is 

 ignorant of the painful hours with which the scientific 

 man, the artist, or the writer has paid in advance for 

 the joy of his success. 



Naturally, we strove as best we could to comfort the 

 discouraged master. Since all was not finished, it was 

 not necessary to conclude that nothing was accomplished, 

 but only to begin over again if necessary. We were 

 young and we had confidence, not in ourselves, but in 

 him. Well employed were those hours in which we saw 

 him struggling with these difficult questions, ceaselessly 

 on the hunt, sometimes deceived in his previsions and 

 hesitating, sometimes triumphant and marching with 

 great strides. We did not always know whither he was 

 bent, for he said little; but we tried to guess, judging 

 from the circumstances, and rectifying our ideas by 

 what we were allowed to perceive of his own. 



This differentiation between the two diseases, which 

 had now become evident, was a first step, and one of the / 

 most important, in the study of the second disease. 

 Henceforth only what belonged to each disease need be 

 credited to it. At the beginning of his researches, as we 

 have seen, Pasteur had credited to the corpuscular 

 disease results due to the other disease. Now, the light 

 having penetrated into obscure corners, many difficulties 

 and apparent contradictions were explained and even 

 by going over recollections and records of experiments, 

 and removing therefrom all that related to the disease of 

 the morts-flats, a very considerable volume of data 

 bearing upon it, was obtained. 



The most striking feature in its history was its mani- 



