In the first four chapters of Anna Kuchment’s The Forgotten Cure, the presented bacteriophage history offers two interesting themes relating to the process of scientific discovery. First, anybody who is passionate enough can participate in research, and second, society and politics will influence the science community’s views of what receives priority in publication.

Cited as the father of bacteriophages, Félix d’Herelle did not have the benefit of a college education. His discovery resulted from his intuition and curiosity. D’Herelle teaches himself and seeks after an unpaid research position. Through his careful observations of locust and stool samples while working as an unpaid assistant, his curiosity drove him to hypothesize why the phenomenon of plaques forming occurred. His desire to answer his hypothesis led him through trial and error in the lab. This resulted in his phage discovery and the development of phage therapy to cure dysentery patients. His curiosity caused him to continue to make effective therapies for Bubonic plague and cholera. Another bacteriophage researcher, Georgi Eliava shared d’Herelle’s same passion. He too observed the plaque-appearing phenomenon and which sparked his curiosity. Unlike d’Herelle, politics had a stronger influence on Eliava’s work. Eliava received government support through funding and expensive science instruments under Lenin. However, Eliava’s work came to an abrupt halt as Stalin’s xenophobia caused the deaths of many Soviet intellects.

One reason why most research goes unacknowledged by the scientific community is that the research is not published. If a scientist does not publish their work, they might as well never have conducted it. Authors such as Sinclair Lewis and Paul de Kruif reeducated the public about the realities of research institutions and practicing physicians. Researchers will rush to publish experiments that were not complete to beat their rivals to receive credit.  D’Herelle’s published work received bad publicity which greatly impacted the spread of phage therapy. As others tried or rush their experiments, they made published papers which argued against his findings. World War II made the scientific community made the military’s needs a priority. Since Fleming’s penicillin seemed more promising and negatively publicity left phage therapy’s effectiveness in question, many physicians turned to antibiotics for treatments.

In conclusion, it surprising what d’Herelle accomplished without a degree. The critical role of publication and the powerful influence of politics on the scientific community is also shocking.