Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 70. (Budapest 1978)

Jánossy, D.: In memoriam Dr. András Tasnádi-Kubacska (1902-1977)

He wrote several hundreds of articles with a view to popularize science, and ten books of similar nature. He was a welcome lecturer in the radio and in various public halls where he talked about natural history, concentrating his topic mainly on palaeontological knowledge. Besides popularizing science he was a very active research worker. 1952 he received his candidate of science degree, while in 1960 he was successful with his academic doctoral thesis: "The paleopathology of prehistoric animals". This sphere of scientific interest was the acme of his activity. He started to investigate this topic in a series of 12 papers published between 1930 and 1938. He wrote his principal work in 1960 "The pathology of prehistoric animals", which was subsequently revised and published in German "Palaeopathologie" (Jena, 1962). This work closed an epoch after the publication of MOODIE'S research forty years earlier, and at the same time started a new vista whose international recognition was significant at that time. The principal feature of his scientific activity was that he never remained with the dry, descriptive studies but he always possessed a highly abstract approach needing great reconstructive capacity especially when interpreting palaeopathological signs, signs of life, foot-prints, and such particular aspects as the propagation of prehistoric animals. The results of his investigations were published during his severe illness in 1976. And he has a posthumous work published in 1977. This last work of his amply reflects the great versatility of his mind and the approach of the subject-matter: every detail is meticulously elaborated and checked, and everything is explained in the light of up-to-date science. In the focus of his science-popularizing activity not only paleobiology but mineralogy and the biography of Hungarian geologists were also cultivated (FERENC NOPCSA, MIKSA HANTKEN, the "two" BÖCKS: HUGÓ BÖCK and JÁNOS BÖCK, the "two" sen. and jun. LAJOS LÓCZY). His style was arresting both for adults and children. The underlying feature of his personality was a great enthusiasm for serving higher principles. His enthusiasm was contagious, captivated his collaborators, thus, he could solve sometimes apparently impossible tasks. He accepted no barrier either in monetary or in technical matters. At the same time his helping hand, especially towards the youth, was ever ready. The memory of ANDRÁS TASNÁDI-KUBACSKA is preserved with reverence both as an original research worker and as a colourful, profoundly humanitarian personality. List of selected publications of Dr. A. Tasnádi-Kubacska 1925: Adatok a Nagyszál környékének geológiájához. Daten zur Geologie der Umgebung des Nagyszál. — Földtani Közlöny, 55: 150-161, 327-332. 1926: Az ember egykori jelenlétét jelző leletek a solymári sziklaüregből. Die Anwesenheit des Menschen andeutende Funde in der Solymárer Spalthöhle. — Barlangkutatás. Höhlenforschung, 14-15:1-3,82-83. 1927: Der pleistozäne Knochenfund der Solymárer Felspalte. — Barlangkutatás. Höhlenforschung, 14-15: 1-63. 1927: A solymári sziklaüreg pleisztocén csontlelete. — Barlangvilág, 1: 17-26. 1928: Die Grundlagen der Literatur über Ungarns Vertebraten. Paläontologie. —• Hefte des Collegium Hangar icunx in Wien, 4: 1-92. 1929: Őslénytani megfigyelések hazánkból a XVIII. század elejéről. Paläontologische Beobachtungen aus Ungarn zu Beginn des XVIII. Jahrhunderts. — Földtani Közlöny, 58: 130-133,235-238. 1929: Az ősgerinces maradványok kutatásának megindulása hazánkban. — Debreceni Szemle, p. 1-10. 1929: Hazánk barlangjaiból ismeretes ősgerinces maradványok és kutatásuk története. — Acta Biologica, (Szeged), 1: 115-206. 1929: Szemelvények a barlangok régi magyar irodalmából. — Természettudományi Közlöny, 61: 74-79.