Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 222-225. (Budapest, 2013)
TANULMÁNYOK - Müller Miklós: Egy 1952-es Kossuth díj - A dialektikus szovjet sejtbiológia rövid regnálása Magyarországon
MÜLLER, Miklós: A Kossuth Prize in 1952 49 ian contribution to materialist biology (Glushchertko 1963). Törő described Glushchenko’s visit in a newspaper article and emphasized their full consensus on most problems of biology and in philosophical approaches to their solution (Törő 1954a). A large photograph of Törő and Glushchenko together was a main decoration of Törö’s laboratory in the 1950s [my memory]. It can be debated whether using Lepeshinskya’s New Cell Theory to give traction to his scientific career was unconscious or deliberate fraud. The experimental work was executed with high technical competence using modern equipment, including microcinematography (Törő 1952b). It is clear today that the observations were misinterpreted. In his obituary of Törő, his student and close coworker György Csaba comments on these events: „Törő was a good scientist who had to know that Lepeshinskaya’s ideas were wrong " (Csaba 1993). However, this work and its official recognition immensely bolstered the status of Törő in Hungary. Csaba continues: „By accepting these ideas, however, he reached such positions (member of parliament, rector of the Medical University, head of the Medical and later of the Biology Division of the Academy of Sciences) that enabled him to significantly support the development of Hungarian biology...We should not pass judgment on his scientific (or personal) missteps. " (Csaba 1993). This is a sentiment to share and remember. Igali (2002) in his overview of Michurin Biology in Hungary does not mention neokaryogenesis but emphasizes Törő’s positive role: „I have to mention our supporters, who realized in different ways their considerable influence...[among others - my addition] Imre Törő, secretary of the Biology Division of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences..." (Igali 2002 51.) Reaction in Hungary to Lepeshiskaya ’s Claims While Törő’s initial fortune in winning the Kossuth prize was directly connected with the New Cell Theory, the overall story of this theory in Hungary is just a local case of how Michurin Biology penetrated into one of the Satellite countries of the USSR during the Cold War. The Hungarian party daily, Szabad Nép, at first barely reacted to the May Joint Meeting. A misleading short note title on the origin of life was the first, somewhat delayed report (anon 1950a). Soon thereafter a detailed article on Engels and modern science presented Lysenko’s and Lepeshinskaya’s work as the greatest recent contributions to dialectic science (Havas 1950). The Hungarian press soon covered Lepesinskaya’s New Cell Theory extensively. Some examples: In July the translation of an overview article by leading Soviet biologists (Kalinicsenko et al. 1950) was published. In December the main lectures of the May 1950 meeting (Lepeshinskaya, O.B. 1950a 1950b, Lepeshinskaya, O.P. 1950, Krjukov 1950) were published in a medical journal accompanied by a brief laudatory introduction (anon 1950b): “Studies by O.B. Lepeshinskaya and her coworkers performed since 1933 has proved that new cells can arise in the organism not only by division of existing cells but can develop from living substance without cellular structure. The trailblazing Soviet scientist, O.B. Lepeshinskaya was guided in her research by the great teachings of Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin. She demolished the reactionary dogmas of Virchow that hindered for decades the development of biology and medical sciences: ‘‘cells only from cells, ” ‘‘no life outside of cells," ‘‘cells are the ultimate units of life." Due to
