According to Parfitt, "the first full-blown development of the theory was put forward by Nicholas McLeod, a Scot who started his career in the herring industry before he ended up in Japan as a missionary".
Laut Parfitt „wurde die erste umfassende Entwicklung der Theorie von Nicholas McLeod vorgeschlagen, einem Schotten, der seine Karriere in der Heringsindustrie begann, bevor er in Japan als Missionar endete“.