 Why is Melrose so opposed to Lessing publishing his book?
BRAMBLE BUSH BY ALAN E. NOURSE [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, August 1957. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] MOTHER GOOSE Dr. David Lessing found Jack Dorffman and the boy waiting in his office when he arrived at the Hoffman Center that morning. "He's gone completely hay-wire. Nobody's been able to get near him for three weeks, and now at six o'clock this morning he decides he's leaving the Farm. "So you bring him down here," said Lessing sourly. He sat with a mute appeal in his large grey eyes as Lessing flipped the reader-switch and blinked in alarm at the wildly thrashing pattern on the tape. Lessing nodded at Dorffman and stepped into an adjoining room with him. "Full psi precautions?" asked Dorffman. Two letters were waiting on Lessing's desk that morning. The first was from Roberts Bros., announcing another shift of deadline on the book, and demanding the galley proofs two weeks earlier than scheduled. And now, as the book approached publication date, Lessing wondered if he would ever really get back to work again. It bore the letterhead of the International Psionics Conference: Dear Dr. Lessing: In recognition of your position as an authority on human Psionic behavior patterns, we would be gratified to schedule you as principle speaker at the Conference in Chicago on October 12th. "A Theory of Psionic Influence on Infant and Child Development." They were trying to study phenomena which made no sense, observing things that defied logic. And the more they struggled, the thicker and more impenetrable the bramble bush became— But now David Lessing had discovered a pathway through that jungle, a theory to work by— At his elbow the intercom buzzed. Dr. Peter Melrose was tall and thin, with jet black hair and dark mocking eyes. "I think you'd better wait before you do that," Melrose said sharply, "because I'm planning to take you apart at the Conference next month unless I like everything I see and hear down here today. "I want to hear this fairy tale you're about to publish in the name of 'Theory'," Melrose said. "If the papers you've already published are a preview, we think it's false as Satan." "So far, we haven't found any way to set up logical controls," said Melrose. "We haven't been energetic enough to find an orthodox approach that got us anywhere.
 The field of psionics is new. If Lessing turns out to be wrong, the whole field of study could be discredited.
 The field of psionics is new. If Lessing turns out to be wrong, the whole field of study could be discredited.  Lessing is Melrose's closest friend. He doesn't want to see Lessing embarrassed if his theory is proved wrong.  Melrose runs a task force against the publishing of junk science.  Melrose is also studying psionics and wants to delay Lessing by any means so that he can publish first.