Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1979. január-június (33. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1979-04-19 / 16. szám
Thursday, April 19. 1979. A NATIONAL TREASURE... AN INSPIRATION TO YOUNGER SCIENTISTS... 8 ------------------------------------------------amerikai magyar szó In an article in Science, the official organ of the Americaan Association for Advancement of Science Constance Holden presents a deeply appreciative sketch of the great Hungarian-born scientist, Prof. Szent-Gy'órgyi. At the same time she delivers a scathing criticism of the NIH /National Institute of Health/ bureaucracy that denied grants to such giants of science as Dr. Szent-Gyórgyi and Dr. Linus 1 Pauling. Below we offer excerpts from this remarkable article. Hungary has contributed more than her share of scientific genius to the world, more particularly to the United States’. John von Neumann,Edward Teller, and Eugene Wigner among others. One of the most outstanding has been Albert Szent-Gyórgyi, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1937 for his discovery of vitamin C, and prolific theorizer whose contributions could easily have added up to a couple of more Nobels. In the 1930’s he was discoverer with Hans Krebs of the Krebs cycle, which describes the oxidation of acetic acid in living organisms. In 1 954 he won the Albert Lssker award for the first workable theory of heart muscle contraction. Many people now don’t know whether Szent- Gyorgyi is alive or dead. He is in fact quite alive at 85, and working at the rented laboratory at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory where he has toiled for the past 1 8 years on a little-known and less understood “bioelectronic” theory of cancer that he has been developing for decades. He has not had a federal grant in years, and might well have been forced out to pasture were it not for the enthusiasm of a retired lawyer and businessman who took a shine to his ideas. Now Szent-Gyórgyi is the spiritual hub of a network of scientists around the world who are doing work related to his theory of cancer under the aegis of the National Foundation for Cancer Research. George Weber, Hungarian-born biochemist at Indiana University Medical School who is a generation younger than Szent-Gyórgyi, strongly feels that there should be some way for scientists with a “track record’’such as Szent-Gyorgyi’s to be assured of support for their work until they retire or die. “Such people should be cherished”, he says. “ If he A MESSAGE FROM HUNGARY TO THE AMERICAN WORKINGMEN [By Cable to The Liberator] ^^E send heartiest greetings to the working proletariat of ATneri- ca. Although it has been possible for capitalism to pit one part of you against the others, especially the well-paid workers against those not so well paid, we firmly believe that you will within a short time see clearly that you all belong to an oppressed class, that the bourgeoisie has become unnecessary in your country as it has shown itself to be unnecessary in ours. For European capitalism the twilight of the gods has arrived. Everybody sees this now. But capitalists console themselves with the hope that the American workingmen will save capitalism for them. We trust that the American workingmen will frustrate this hope. We p articularly greet the Hungarian workmen of America. They had to emigrate from Hungary because it did not offer them a home. We now have made it a home for them (Signed) BELA KUN People's Commissaire of Foreign Affairs OF THE HUNGARIAN SOVIET REPUBLIC Thia message wss delivered personally to Crystal Eastman in Buda Pesth by Bela Kun. Her full story of the interview with him, and her account of conditions in Hungary, will appear in the next number of the Liberator. were in Hungary or Germany the government would consider him a national treasure and continue supporting him so he could be an inspiration to younger scientists." Weber expresses unqualified approval of the NIH peer review system, which he called “the best system ever devised.” But he believes some mechanism, perhaps an endowed professorship, should be created for people like Szent-Gyórgyi and other outstanding scientists now past retirement age, whose productivity has been curtailed for lack of money. Says Weber, “our obsession with youth and equality of opportunity is fine, but there should be some channel for recognizing the truly towering figures.” Constance Holden THE EINSTEIN DECADE When Einstein’s younger son, Eduard was eleven, he asked his father, “Why are you so famous, Daddy?” On the impulse, Einstein replied, “You know son, a blind beetle was climbing on a football without realizing it was spherical. I was lucky enough to notice.” The anecdote is quoted by Cornelius Lanczös, the world famous physicist of Hungarian origin, in his book, The Einstein Decade, 1905-1915 /Elek Science, London, 1974/, Einstein’s contemporary and co-worker in some places shows bias, but his report is exciting throughout, and not only introduces Einstein as a private individual, but also gives an account of the scientist’s discoveries. The book is a recent addition to the paperback series of studies in science Accelerating Time, published in Hungary by Magvető. EGER I All the three towns of Heves County have plenty of interest to visitors, particularly Eger, the county town. Eger is a thriving city and also a medicinal spa, 180 metres above sea level, and flanked by the Bükk and Matra Mountains. It has perhaps the most markedly Baroque town centre of any place in Hungary, including the beautiful Lyceum (secondary school), the Archbishop’s Palace, County Hall, several Baroque churches, and the two Provost’s Palaces—all Baroque masterpieces. The streets have also preserved some of their closed Medieval atmosphere. The Medieval Castle and the town centre within the bounds of the old town walls are a conservation area, Any visitor is sure to hear of the great monthlong siege of 1552, when the 150.000 men of Pasha Ali ’s army were unable to overcome the 2.000 defenders in the Castle, led by István Dobó, after whom the town’s old market square is named. And almost every visitor will make the acquaintance of the famous wine Bull’s Blood of Eger. The town of Hatvan (the Hungarian word for sixty) in fact lies sixty kilometres from Budapest. It is a modem industrial centre, but with plenty of its past still visible — the Baroque palace built in 1754, and the Baroque church (1751-57), both in the main square, should not be missed. The county’s second largest community, after Eger, is Gyöngyös, the gateway to the Matra mountains. The town and its medicinal spa are bustling with life. There is a famous collection on local history and enthnography in the Matra Museum. The Franciscan Church and Friary were built around 1400; the lancet windows, polyogo- nal chancel and belfry all preserve their Gothic appearance. Inside are fine wooden statues carved by József Hebenstreit in 1759-60. Apart from the mountains and towns, the country villages have much to interest the ethnographer, since this is the home of the Palots people, who have lived here in isolation and have carefully preserved their traditions. The walls of Eger Castle withstood an attack by an army of 150.000 Turks in 1552. MAMMOTH-SCALE FARMING The forerunner of today’s Babolna Agricultural Combine was a stud farm founded in 1789, which still functions. The agricultural complex built up at Babolna since 1960 is at once a 6.200 hectare farm, a scientific research institute and a center for genetic experiment.
