After a year studying chemistry back at Owen's College, Beard went to Germany and received his doctorate from the Ludwigs University of Freiberg in 1884, specializing in zoology.

Finishing his postdoctoral opportunity in 1889, Beard went back to Germany and became the personal assistant of Friedrich Leopold August Weismann, a professor of enormous stature.

[4] By his departure from the lake, Beard had collected an extensive amount of material that would help develop his notable trophoblastic theory.

Upon studying microscope slides of early-stage Lepidosteus, Beard discovered "sensory neurons located within the dorsal zone of the spinal cord, which were assembled and subsequently disassembled in the course of the fish's early development.

[3] In other words, Lepidosteus "produced two nervous systems in consecutive order, the first of which group outside the normal embryonic development of the latter".

This was Beard's first exposure to breaks from traditional evolutionary theory, which thought progression occurred gradually only in a linear fashion.

Beard published his findings in "Lepidosteus", and even mused about alternating generations in animals in a manner similar to those found in plants.

[4] This ultimately led to an 1890 appointment as a faculty member of the University of Edinburgh, the senior assistant to James Cossar Ewart, MD (Regius professor of natural history).

Drawing from his previous experiences with Lepidosteus, Beard suggested that the corpus luteum likely formed to aid pregnancy and the environment needed for a growing fetus.

[5] Drawing from his experience in Black Lake, Beard sought to closely explore the role of germ cells during the various stages of embryonic development.

In Beard's mind, the "initiation of pancreatic enzyme production by the fetus might be responsible for the regression of trophoblastic tissue in the natural course of pregnancy."

In other words, Beard felt pancreatic enzyme activity was deficient in cancer patients, leading to the existence of the "irresponsible trophoblast" that would have been degraded during a healthy pregnancy.

While making strides in embryology and advancing knowledge surrounding cell behavior, Beard's hypothesis regarding the origin of cancer have largely proven to be false.