Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 222-225. (Budapest, 2013)

TANULMÁNYOK - Müller Miklós: Egy 1952-es Kossuth díj - A dialektikus szovjet sejtbiológia rövid regnálása Magyarországon

A KOSSUTH PRIZE IN 1952 - THE SHORT TERM RULE OF DIALECTIC SOVIET CELL BIOLOGY IN HUNGARY

MIKLÓS MÜLLER

“The fate of science is not determined only by conflicts of heroes and villains. Paradoxically it might be that the real heroes of science are the conformists. This is especially true in totalitarian countries.” (Shnol’ 2010 13.)'

Imre Törő 's Kossuth Price

The highest award given by the Hungarian government for outstanding contributions to art, science and society was the Kossuth prize, introduced in 1949. On March 15, 1952 Professor and full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Imre Törő1 2 (Csaba 1993, Röhlich 1993) received the Kossuth prize for his „discovery of a new mode of cell division that is in contrast to cellular theory” (anon, 1952a).3 While usually only well known major contributions are honored with the prize, it is remarkable that Törő received his prize for a single, as yet unpublished recent work. He presented it orally at the annual meeting of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences less than a year before4 and the work appeared in print only at about that time (Törő 1952a, 1952b). The reason that this single work of Törő’s extensive scientific production was singled out for high distinction, and that it was given so soon after oral presentation of the results becomes clear from an interview in the Party newspaper, Szabad Nép, where Törő stated „These studies fully support the work of Lepeshinskaya on the origin of cells" (anon, 1952b) and also from an announcement in the

1 Shnol’, Simon Elycvich (1930-), biophysicist in Pushchino and Moscow. Ardent antilysenkoitc. Published four editions of a collection of personal biographies of outstanding Russian scientists, especially biologists (ShnoV 2010 13.).

2 Törő, Imre (1900 - 1993) medical scientist, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (corresponding member, 1946; full member, 1947). Rockefeller fellowship to Berlin and New York in the late 1930s. Professor of anatomy at the University of Debrecen (1947 - 1950). Professor of histology and embryology at the Medical University of Budapest (now Semmelweis Medical University) (1950- 1971). Kossuth prize, 1952. Played a major role in establishment of Biological Division of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and in popularizaition of science in Hungary.

3 Decision of the Secretariat of the Communist Party on February 27, 1952 (State Archives of Hungary - KS 267Y.54. cs. 182, ő.e. 1952 február 27. 22R/107) and announced by the Hungarian govcrncment on March 15, a national holiday in Hungary (Anon. 1952a).

4 Plan of the Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1951. (Archives of Hungarian Academy of Science, Biológiai Osztály Iratai, box 6, folder 1).