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$Title{Romania
Romanian Scholars for the Progress of Humanity}
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$Author{Aurel David}
$Affiliation{News Agency Rompres}
$Subject{romanian
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world
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$Date{1990}
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Title:       Romania
Book:        Romania December 1989-December 1990
Author:      Aurel David
Affiliation: News Agency Rompres
Date:        1990

Romanian Scholars for the Progress of Humanity

     NICOLAUS OLAHUS (1493-1568) - Romanian humanist of Transylvania
secretary to King Louis II of Hungary and of Queen Maria of Habsburg. Regent
of the Hungarian crown in 1562. Partisan of counter-reform. Good friend of
humanists from the Low Countries. Very much appreciated by Erasmus of
Rotterdam. Historical writings: "Hungaria", a historical and ethnographic
work, and "Chronicon". He also wrote poetry.

     MICHAEL THE BRAVE (-1601) - Politician and military commander, prince
of Walachia (1593-1601), of Transylvania (1599-1600) and Moldavia (1600). In
1600 he achieved the political union of the three Romanian principalities
proclaiming himself "prince of Walachia, Transylvania and of all Moldavia". On
an internal plane he pursued the strengthening of central authority while his
political and military programme played an important role in turning the
awareness of unity of kinship and language of the Romanian people into an
active idea. On an external plane, he supported and contributed to the
building of a system of anti-Ottomman alliances. He was assassinated at
Cimpia Turzii in 1601.

     NICOLAE GRIGORESCU (1837-1907) - Founder of Romanian modern painting.
He began as church painter (Zamfira and Agapia). Afterwards he studied in
France where he was attracted by the preoccupations of the Barbizon group.
In the beginning a painter with academic tendencies, subsequently he was
influenced by Impressionism. A valuable sketcher. Author of outstanding
paintings. He cultivated the portrait and the landscape.

     MIHAI EMINESCU (1850-1889) - A romantic poet of European standing. The
greatest Romanian poet. He studied in Vienna and Berlin. He published only
one volume of poems in his lifetime "Poesii" in 1883. A remarkable journalist,
writer of philosophic and lyric-fantastic prose. Collector of folk creation.
Drama projects. Among his poems: "Letters", "Emperor and Proletarian", "Angel
and Devil", "The Morning Star", his masterpiece, "Calin, Pages of a Fairy
Tale", "Glossa", "Prayer of a Dacian". His work has been translated in tens
of languages.

     VICTOR BABES (1854-1926) - One of the founders of modern microbiology,
author of the first treatise of bacteriology in the world "Les bacteries et
leur role dans l'etiologie, l'anatomie et l'histologie pathologique des
maladies infectieuses (together with A. V. Cornil, in 1885). Medical studies
in Budapest and Vienna. Specialisation terms in Munich, Heidelberg,
Strasbourg, Paris and Berlin. Founder of the Institute of Pathology and
Bacteriology of Bucharest (1887), the first scientific research institute set
up in Romania.

     EMIL RACOVITA (1886-1947) - Romanian biologist. He laid the foundations
of biospelaeology and set up in Cluj, in 1920, the first institute of
spelaeology in the world. He took part in an expedition in the Artic regions
of the "Belgica" (1897-1899) during which he collected a rich scientific
material. In his youth he worked at the research stations of Roscoff and
Banyuls sur Mer (France). Important studies in zoology and theoretical biology
("Essai sur les problemes biospeologique", 1907), "Evolu-tia -si
problemele ei"Evolution and its Problems (1929).

     NICOLAE PAULESCU (1869-1931) - Romanian physiologist, discoverer of
insulin. He studied in France where he got three doctor's degrees: in
medicine, sciences and biological chemistry. He discovered the basic treatment
of diabetes with the help of a hormone he called "pancreine". The results of
his researches were published in 1921 in the Belgian publication "Archives de
Physiologie". One year later the Canadian researchers Fr. G. Banting, Mac
Leod and Charles Best informed about the discovery of the same pancreatic
hormone which they called insulin. For that achievement the first two were
awarded the Nobel Prize in 1923. Although the priority of his researches
had eventually been acknowledged, Paulescu remained wronged.

     NICOLAE IORGA (1871-1940) - Historian, writer, journalist and politician.
A modern encylopaedic spirit, author of 1,250 books and over 25,000 papers.
An erudite thinker. He enriched the Romanian and world historical thinking
with essential works underscoring the original character of the Romanian
culture, the continuity of the Romanian people in the same millennia-old
territory, the Romanian people's interdependence with other peoples. Works:
"Istoria lui Mihai Viteazul"History of Michael the Brave, Istoria
romanilor"History of the Romanians (ten volumes), "Histoire des Roumains
et de la Roumanite orientale", "Geschichte des Osmanischen Reiches" (five
volumes), "Histoire de la vie Byzantine" (three volumes). One of the founders
of the South-East European Institute (1913) and the organiser of the first
congress of Byzantine studies (1922). Prime minister in 1931 and 1932. A
declared antifascist. He was assassinated by the Iron Guard in 1940.

     CONSTANTIN I. PARHON (1874-1969) - Founder of the Romanian school of
endocrinology and one of the most outstanding founders of this science on a
world plane. Author, in collaboration with M. Goldstein, of the first book on
endocrinology in the world "Secre-tiile interne"Internal Secretions. He set
up the first institutes of endocrinology and gerontology the latter being
also a world priority. A member of several foreign academies and of
prestigious international societies in Paris, Moscow, Prague.

     CONSTANTIN BRANCU-SI (1876-1957) - Romanian sculptor, settled in France
since 1904. Considered the father of modern sculpture and one of the most
representative artistic personalities of the 20th century. Author of
monumental works like those at Tirgu Jiu (The Gate of the Kiss, the Silence
Table, the Endless Column), of series of sculptures hosted today by the most
important museums in Europe and the United States - the Miracle Bird, the
Cock, Beginning of the World, Bird in Space, Mlle Pogany a.o.

     GEORGE ENESCU (1881-1955) - Romanian composer, violinist, conductor and
pianist. He studied with Massenet, Faure and Gedalge. Settled in France.
Author of two Romanian rhapsodies for orchestra, three symphonies, three
suites for orchestra, numerous other suites and works. Composer of an opera,
"Oedipe". A violinist of world fame he brought a unique vision of great
nobleness in the performing art. Teacher of Yehudi Menuin, Christian
Ferras and others. The annual award for composition in Romania is named
after him.

     GOGU CONSTANTINESCU (1881-1965) - Construction engineer, inventor.
Starting 1910 he experimented various inventions in England and in 1913 left
for the United States where he met Edison. He got British citizenship. Father
of sonics, a new science substantiated on mathematic bases. Considered one
of world's greatest inventors. His over 120 patents were published by
Patent Office of England in four volumes.

     NICOLAE TITULESCU (1882-1941) - Prominent politician, the most important
Romanian diplomat. Brilliant orator. One of the greatest European diplomats
of the interwar period. President of the League of Nations in 1930 and 1931.
He militated for consolidating Romania's security, more particularly after
Hitler's installation in Germany. Removed from the government (1936), he
emigrated to France where he continued to promote the idea of maintaining
peace.

     VASILE PARVAN (1882-1927) - Outstanding Romanian historian and
archaeologist. An expert in ancient history ("Getica", "Dacia", "Civiliza-tii
stravechi din regiunile carpato-danubiene"Ancient Civilizations in the
Carpathian-Danubian Regions, "Inceputurile vie-tii romane la gurile
Dunarii" Beginning of Roman Life at the Mouth of the Danube). He played an
important role in the foundation of the new Romanian school of archaeology. He
organized numerous archaeological sites of which that of Histria is the most
important. Member of several foreign academies and scientific societies.

     HENRI COANDA (1886-1972) - A Romanian scientist. A pioneer of world
aviation. In 1910 he conceived and built the first jet plane in the world he
flew the same year. Over 1911-1914 he built several types of aircraft known as
"Bristol-Coanda". He discovered the effect named after him (1934) with
important applications to numerous technical fields. Author of over 250
inventions.

     -STEFAN ODOBLEJA (1902-1978) - Author of the first variant of generalized
cybernetic conception he worked out ten years before the publication of
Norbert Wiener's "Cybernetics" in Paris. In 1938, in his work "La
Psichologie consonantiste" put out in Lugoj he set forth for the first time
cybernetic principles explaining a number of phenomena with the help of
reverse connexion.

     MIRCEA ELIADE (1907-1988) - Romanian philosopher and writer. Settled
in the United States. Professor at Harvard University. An expert in the
history of religions (Traite d'histoire des religions", "Le Sacre et le
Profane"), oriental studies and mythology. Novels of Gidean influence,
diaries of spiritual-erotic experiences, or with social implications.
Fantastic prose ("Miss Cristina", "With the Gypsy Girls", "Dr. Honigberger's
Secret" a.o.).

     EUGEN IONESCU (b. 1912) - Romanian writer settled in France. He studied
in Bucharest and Paris. An antifascist and anticommunist. An outstanding
playwright, one of the great creators of the theatre of the absurd. Works:
"Cintareata cheala"The Bald Singer, "Scaunele"The Chairs,
"Rinocerii"The Rhinoceros, "Uciga-s fara simbrie"Killer without Pay,
"Setea -si foamea"Thirst and Hunger. Since 1971 he has been a member of the
French Academy.

     GEORGE EMIL PALADE (b. 1912) - Romanian scientist settled in the United
States. A biologist. He worked as a researcher, and then as a professor of
cell biology at the Rockeffeler Institute in New York. Since 1973, professor
with the Faculty of Medicine of Yale University. A winner of the Nobel Prize
for medicine in 1974. Important contributions to the elucidation of cellular
ultra-structures, of cytoplasm and cytoplasmatic inclusions (mitochondria,
microsomes etc.) in particular.