ideo autem omnes ad consilium vocari diximus, quia saepe iuniori Dominus revelat quod melius est.*

Benedictus de Nursia Regula Benedicti, ca. 550 A. C. Caput 111,3

The Wilsede Meetings were initiated in 1973 as an unusual experiment, and in the meantime this biennial symposium has already come to constitute an established and successful tradition. In June 1986 scientists and physicians met for the seventh time in the 300year-old Emmenhof in Wilsede, in the heart of the Luneburg Heath, to discuss modern trends in human leukemia, It was Pappenheim who in 1910 prepared the first international hematology congress. It was to have been held in Berlin under the title "Der große mononukleäre Leukozyt Ehrlichs, seine Morphologie und Funktion, seine Herkunft und seine Benennung" (Ehrlich's large mononuclear leukocyte. Its morphology, function, origin, and name), which was the most important and topical question at that time. It is amazing to think that as early as 1900, thanks to the pioneering research of Maximov and the innovative staining method developed by Ehrlich, the differentiation of the blood cells had, to a large extent, already been discovered. It is a sad fact that this congress never took place due to personal controversies among leading hematologists, especially between Pappenheim and the Austrian hematologist Turk. Fortunately the Wilsede Meetings have never incurred this type of personal controversies. On the contrary, both matter-of-fact discussions at a high scientific level and the development of personal friendships have always characterized their singular atmosphere. The seventh Wilsede Meeting was also in this tradition, and under the active and sure-handed guidance of the chairmen an outstanding scientific program was presented, the participants contributing toward a convivial and friendly atmosphere. I would like to express my thanks for this and hope that there will be many future Wilsede's where we will all get together again.

* Wir haben aber deshalb bestimmt, daß alle zur Beratung einberufen werden, weil der Herr oft einern Jüngeren oenbart, was das Beste ist.

* But we have therefore declared that everyone should be summonded to the conference, because God often reveals to the young people which way is best.

Scientific and Personal Discussion around "DE Emmenhof"