"Perhaps it was Goethe's breadth of mind, his desire to understand the underlying unity of nature without too much concern for experimental details, that led him to this remarkable insight. [...] His clear appreciation of the significance of abnormalities was certainly ahead of its time. Goethe's perspective only came to experimental fruition in the twentieth century, as mutations affecting development stated to be investigated in detail. The unraveling of the abc model is a good example of how the outlook underwent a change."