How does M. Waldman react when he hears the names of Agrippa and Paracelsus?

When Professor Waldman hears the names of Paracelsus and Agrippa, he does not respond with the same contempt Victor met with when he uttered these names in front of Professor Krempe. Waldman, instead, declares that modern scientists are, in fact, indebted to these men because their "indefatigable zeal" helped to lay the foundation of the sciences. Waldman believes that the work of men like Paracelsus and Agrippa, those scientists who came first, paved the way...

When Professor Waldman hears the names of Paracelsus and Agrippa, he does not respond with the same contempt Victor met with when he uttered these names in front of Professor Krempe. Waldman, instead, declares that modern scientists are, in fact, indebted to these men because their "indefatigable zeal" helped to lay the foundation of the sciences. Waldman believes that the work of men like Paracelsus and Agrippa, those scientists who came first, paved the way for modern scientists, making their road an easier one to follow. Finally, he claims that,

The labours of men of genius, however erroneously directed, scarcely ever fail in ultimately turning to the solid advantage of mankind.

In other words, even if these early scientists made egregious errors and mistakes which, in Waldman's day, may seem ridiculous, they still helped to further the field and work toward the betterment of humanity. He feels that all such labor has value because it almost always helps us along.