Biochemical Individuality: The Basis for the Genetotrophic Concept.

No one denies that it is necessary to manufacture synthetic pictures of disease which we must compare with a synthetic picture of normality. But it takes much wisdom and much experience to realize that in the final analysis the notion of the normal as an entity and the concept of disease as a classic textbook entity are both figments. In times gone by, when physicians were not so bewildered by choosing what specific to use, since there were so few of them, it was possible for wise doctors to concentrate more on the person. There was then much thought and action based on ideas of diathesis, disposition, and temperament. Much more attention was devoted to the physiognomy of disease as it was modified in each sick person. To some extent these views of our medical forefathers were weakened by artificial systems of nosography in which single causes were emphasized to