From electrical to chemical transmission in the central nervous system: The closing address of the Sir Henry Dale Centennial Symposium Cambridge, 19 September 1975

I was very attracted by the title that Dr Iversen thought up for me. I have recalled many memories of the 1930’s in my efforts to recover the story of the Chemical-Electrical controversy that has apparently become legendary! But like all legends it needs checking by a little archival research; it was salutary to find that even my own memory was at fault! I have to be wary because there are present here many of those concerned in those memorable disputations, notably of course Wilhelm Feldberg, but also Marthe Vogt, Ulf von Euler, H. O. Schild, Hank Macintosh, and of course our chairman Z. M. Bacq. Naturally on this occasion I want to concentrate on the story as Dale told it in his many lectures.