In future heroes will not be born. They will be manufactured in a laboratory. Mrs M. G. Adams, lecturer on biology of Cambridge University, speaking last night to the students at the Cambridge summer School, said it has been found that when a man distinguished himself in face of great danger or during a sudden crisis he was under the influence of a substance called adrenaline, which flowed from the adrenal gland into the blood.
"Heroes," said Mrs Adams, "are simply people with enlarged adrenal glands. We found that when a cat arched its back and spat fire when a dog came along it was due to the presence of this substance. We also found that if this stuff was put into the blood of a cat purring beside the fire the effect was the same as if a dog had arrived.
"This adrenaline can be made in the laboratory by the distillation of coal tar. So now we know what heroes are made of."
The Irish Times, August 7th, 1930.