Dr. Franklin P. Mall : an appreciation / [Simon Flexner].

  • Flexner, Simon, 1863-1946.
Date:
1918
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr. Franklin P. Mall : an appreciation / [Simon Flexner]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Our proximity in the pathological build¬ ing brought us into frequent association. In the early days of the medical school, Mall often attended the autopsies, many of which I performed. His active interest in the pathological phenomena continued throughout his life, in part possibly as the result of the year spent as fellow in pathol¬ ogy under Doctor Welch. But in fact he did not disassociate, as is often erroneously done, facts of pathology from those of anatomy. Being naturally inquisitive in regard to the relation of cause and effect in respect to the unit forms of organs, he was also prone to inquire into the effects of causes in their nature pathological. At about the period when Mall was studying the lobular unit of the liver I was induced to attempt the application of some of the methods he worked out to cirrhosis of that organ—a mere illustration of the way in which two related depart¬ ments through him were made to react on each other. I imagine that few who knew Mall even quite well realize with what intensity of absorption and application he would work at a problem once he had gripped it, as one might say. In temperament he was naturally reflective. Hence there occurred periods during which he appeared to be doing little in his laboratory. At such times he would become possessed with the impulse to roam about the building or out into the city or into the adjacent country. It was remarkable that when under the in¬ fluence of those moods he did not seek solitude so much as another form of activity. I was not infrequently taken away by him for a stroll through East Baltimore, and on these expeditions I ac¬ quired quite a knowledge of that part of the city. They were in many ways ex¬ tremely interesting occasions, for during them he often talked his best and sketched advanced ideas on educational and other reforms, as well as on problems of research. I think Mall never dreamt idly. He was possessed of a romantic imagination, but it was both controlled and constructive. To not a few who did not understand him well his ideas sometimes sounded extreme, but they invariably rested on real foundations, as is now evident since so many of them have been carried into practical affairs. At other times he worked out problems in his laboratory with consuming intensity. It would seem as if while under what I have called the spell of his reflective mood, a problem would formulate itself more definitely, or some barring obstacle give way to a revealed point of view. However that may be, my notion was that the periods of reflection were signs that he would attack a new or solve an old prob¬ lem; and I always looked for new ideas and accomplishments when the mood changed. If I have at all succeeded in revealing Doctor Mall as he appeared to me, then I have presented to you a complex person¬ ality. The remarkable thing is the way in which all the pronounced qualities that characterized him were fused into a simple, harmonious, kind and lovable individual¬ ity. I have referred already to Mall’s democratic spirit. He was an intense lover and active exponent of liberty. His belief and confidence in freedom extended far beyond the confines of the university and laboratory, and into the world of politics and government. Freedom within the uni¬ versity he held as the first condition of the successful struggle of the forces of light over superstition and darkness. Within the walls of his laboratory the fullest liberty prevailed. Once outside the realm of the prescribed task for training, each man followed the bent of his own talents and tastes. However, his principles as well as his practise sharply differentiated