European Colleagues Research Articles

Up from Bondage: The Literatures of Russian and African American Soul (review)

REVIEWS ten."' He notes that "European elements are converted to Latin American use with such advantage to the latter that the term influence—which may imply European control—is no longer suitable for denoting the relationship" (172). The most compelling exploration ofthis process comes in an analysis oftwo paintings, Antonio Ruiz's Sueño de la Malinche (1939) and Wilfredo Lam's La jungla (1943). Beardsell relies here on Andrea Giunta's notion of the "appropriation of appropriation ." This refers to "the repetition ofa European cultural phenomenon which is already borrowed from a non-European culture." Repetition ofthe European model is a way ofmaking "a critical commentary on it," while allowing Latin American artists to make a fuller discovery oftheir own cultural identity (174). The process is beautifully illustrated by Lam's painting. Beardsell follows Giunta in arguing that Lam's encounter with European avant-garde art helped him to understand his own culture better, and produce a body ofwork whose primitivism was more authentic than that ofhis European colleagues: "Lam could see that the African 'primitivism' that interested the Cubists and Surrealists was an aspect ofthe Négritude movement that he actually experienced as a condition ofbeing Cuban" (193). In sum, it is a pity that Beardsell chose to approach his topic from the vantagepoint ofpostcolonial theory. From these lofty heights, the view ofLatin American culture turns out to be abstract and reductive. Fortunately, Beardsell's gaze often slips out ofits theoretical prison. When it does, he helps the reader see more clearly the rich, complex, and conflictive nature ofLatin America's relationship to Europe. Maarten van DeldenRice University DALE E. PETERSON. Upfrom Bondage: The Literatures ofRussian and African American Soul. Durham: Duke UP, 2000. ? + 249 pp. Peterson has fashioned a unique work ofunusual importance and relevance in the post-Cold War world. As previously delineated boundaries of "east" and "west" become increasingly blurred and the former Soviet Union struggles with its own identity somewhere between Europe and Asia, Peterson suggests that intellectual, cultural, and philosophical ties exist between African Americans and Russians that emerge through their respective literary works and intellectual thought. Upfrom Bondage explores this seemingly inaccessible territory by bringing two disparate worlds together within the framework ofcultural hybridity and ethnic self-awareness , citing generously from canonical works ofliterature and social commentary. Literary critics and social commentators have discussed the obvious surface similarities between the experiences of the American slave and the Russian serf— especially in literary portraits—since the early twentieth century. This volume, however, is the first critical work to examine not only the status of Russians and African Americans as marginalized and underrepresented populations, but also the ways in which their portrayal in literary and philosophical writings actually shares a vocabulary and language for expressing cultural nationalism in the US and in Russia. In spite ofboth countries' insistence upon a positive monolithic cultural base embodied in the "American melting pot" and the "multicultural country" (mnogonacional'naia strana) ofRussia, both countries have histories ofracial and ethnic strife simmering not always quietly under the surface rhetoric ofequality. For Russian serfs, even in the so-called Golden Age of literary and intellectual creativity, there was a kind ofdouble jeopardy in being second class citizens both Vol. 26 (2002): 152 THE COMPAKATIST as non-Europeans and as non-gentry. For the American slave, life was rife with hypocrisy in the "land ofthe free" as many ofthe most "progressive" nineteenthcentury statesmen were slave owners themselves. Peterson's comparison begins with the nineteenth-century literary tradition, which is marked in both worlds by the canonical works ofmasters: Chaadaev, Dostoevsky , and Turgenev in Russia, Crummell, DuBois, and Chesnutt in the U.S. Through close textual and contextual readings, Upfrom Bondage offers compelling portraits ofhow writers and thinkers in the two countries arrive at a new consciousness and awareness of nationalism. In several cases it is not until some of the brilliant work ofenlightened (read: pro-emancipation) Russian writers, such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, finally reach the English speaking audience in the U.S. that the deep similarities in the two populations becomes palpable. Peterson demonstrates that Dostoevsky's biting social commentary in Notesfrom Underground (1864) gets revisited by African American writers only...

Teachers All: Samoan, Fijian, and Queensland Melanesian Missionaries in Papua, 1884–1914

Pacific Islands mission teachers were powerful agents of culture change in Oceania, and the Christianity they taught is part of the ideological and constitutional under‐pinnings of several independent Pacific Island states. Their fullest impact was felt in the period between the 1880s and 1914, when vast distances were being crossed and diverse populations reached by evangelists from half a dozen Pacific nationalities. Below the common religious motivations professed by the Islands teachers there were sharp contrasts in expectations and behaviour. This paper compares the Samoan, Fijian, and Queensland Melanesian missionaries in Papua, a colony where Islanders were concentrated in larger numbers than elsewhere. The Samoans are given the greater balance of analysis in the paper, because the 187 male Samoans outnumbered both the Fijians (110 males) and Queensland Melanesians (46), and because the Samoans’ expectations diverged more sharply from those of their Euro‐pean colleagues than was the case with their Fijian and Queensland Melanesian contemporaries.

A pump for the auxin fountain: AUX1 and root gravitropism

Roots generally grow downwards. If a plant topples over, its roots will bend during their subsequent growth and reorient themselves vertically. This process is known as gravitropism, and is divided into three distinct phases. The first phase is the perception of gravity by the columella cells in the root cap. These cells are filled with heavy, starch-filled organelles called amyloplasts, which sediment in a gravitational field and define the direction of root growth. In the second phase, the amyloplast sedimentation is converted into a biochemical signal, which is transmitted to the root distal elongation zone (DEZ). Auxin arrives at the root apex from the shoot via the phloem. The asymmetrical redistribution of auxin back towards the DEZ through the outer cell-layers of the root is thought to constitute this signal. In the third phase, the auxin gradient generated laterally across the root in the DEZ results in differential cell elongation and root bending. The controlled acropetal (to the root apex) and basipetal (toward the DEZ) redistribution of auxin is described as the ‘auxin fountain’ hypothesis.Ranjan Swarup and his European colleagues [1xLocalization of the auxin permease AUX1 suggests two functionally distinct hormone transport pathways operate in the Arabidopsis root apex. Swarup, R. et al. Genes Dev. 2001; 15: 2648–2653Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (368)See all References][1] have investigated the role of the auxin influx transporter (AUX1) in the ‘auxin fountain’. As the aux1 mutant shows an agravitropic root phenotype, and root gravitropism is intimately linked to auxin redistribution within the root, their experiments also provide an insight into the processes involved in root gravitropism. They make three pertinent observations:First, they observe that the AUX1 protein and the auxin efflux carrier protein (AtPIN1) are located in the plasma membrane on opposite sides of protophloem cells. They speculate that the juxtaposition of AUX1 on the upper surface, and AtPIN1 on the lower surface of the protophloem cells is required for polar (acropetal) auxin transport to the root apex. This is consistent with the observation that roots lacking AUX1 do not deliver auxin to the root apex, and suggests that AUX1 is intimately involved in auxin transport to this region.Second, they observe that the AUX1 protein is present in the columella cells most responsive to gravity. In these cells, AUX1 most frequently has an intracellular location but, in some cells, it is present on the plasma membrane. It is tempting to speculate that those cells in which AUX1 is present in the plasma membrane are involved in the differential basipetal redistribution of auxin to the DEZ.Third, they observe that the AUX1 protein is present in the cells of the lateral root cap (LRC) overlying the DEZ where gravitropic root curvature is initiated. High (intracellular) auxin concentrations inhibit root elongation. The AUX1 protein is located evenly over the plasma membrane of the LRC cells, suggesting that it has a role in auxin uptake by these cells but not in polar transport. In the roots of wild-type plants, auxin is elevated throughout the DEZ, but in the aux1 mutant it is absent. This observation is consistent with the mutation disrupting auxin transport to this region. This could be a consequence of either impaired acropetal transport to the root apex or impaired basipetal redistribution to the DEZ.Thus, Swarup and colleagues identify the AUX1 protein as not only the pump in the protophloem required for the ‘auxin fountain’, but also as a likely contributor to both the basipetal redistribution of auxin and to the sensitization of the DEZ to auxin. By expressing AUX1 in specific cell-types within the root of the aux1 mutant, they hope to elucidate these three discrete roles further.

Hormonal Therapy in the Postpartum Cow - Days 1 to 10

In 1986 the late Prof. Raimunds Zemjanis from the University of Minnesota was the advisor for a PhD thesis entitled, "Uterine Motility Patterns in the Postpartum Dairy Cow" (Burton, MJ). In my opinion this work contains some of the most definitive data to date about the effects of exogenous hormones on the postpartum bovine uterus. Thus, much of the information presented in this paper is based on that thesis. Unfortunately some good work by our European colleagues is not readily accessible. It is often published in foreign language journals in which there is no more than a brief English abstract. One renowned group (Kundig, Thun & Zerobin) has validated Burton's conclusions. The author has had this series of uterine motility papers translated so that pertinent information could be included in this review.97,98,168

Cash boost to land reclamation

In collaboration with European colleagues, a team at the University of Southampton (UK) has recently received £100 000 for a three-year study to identify the genes that enable certain plants to accumulate and tolerate toxic metals. Although several plants have the ability to tolerate high levels of metals such as nickel and cadmium, they are generally small and slow growing. Identifying the genes involved in metal tolerance should lead to the development of larger, faster-growing ‘super’ plants, with the ultimate goal of using them to clean-up some of the estimated 4 million ha of European land that is contaminated by harmful heavy metals. [http://www.soton.ac.uk/∼pubaffrs/0163.htm] NC

Where are they now? A survey of the career possibilities for young scientists in the life sciences.

Where are they now? A survey of the career possibilities for young scientists in the life sciences.

Woodrow W. Borah (1912-1999)

Woodrow W. Borah (1912-1999)

Development co‐operation and humanitarian action in Spanish foreign policy

The role of development co‐operation and humanitarian action in national foreign policy has undergone important changes in the last decade. In the case of Spain, an active policy of co‐operation has permitted the widening and strengthening of the country's links with European colleagues and, in a different manner, with Latin American countries and the Mediterranean region. Contributions to this growth have come both from the transformation of public administration in Spain and an increasing awareness and participation on the part of society through NGOs. In a decentralized state such as Spain, the autonomous regions and many local authorities have found in development co‐operation a vehicle that gives them a presence abroad. At the same time, the participation of Spain's armed forces in numerous peace missions has contributed to the legitimation of their role and improvements in their social image, as well as giving Spain a greater presence in international fora.

Federation of European Neuroscience Societies 2000 meeting

Many AAA members conducting neuroscience research have productive collaborative relationships with their European colleagues. It therefore seems appropriate to announce that the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) will hold its annual meeting in Brighton, UK, June 24-28, 2000, at the Metropole Hotel and Brighton Conference Center. There will be a Special Interest Workshop on Three-Dimensional Microscopy on June 29. The organizers have put together an outstanding meeting that is only briefly summarized here. Details are available at http://www.fens2000.org. Prior to the FENS meeting, there will be two days of Satellite Symposia covering topics such as Synaptic Plasticity (contact Prof. Zafar Bashir, email z.i.bashir@bristol.ac.uk;), Knockouts and Mutants: Genetically Dissecting Brain and Behavior (contact Prof. W.E. Crusio, crusio@cnrs-orleans.fr), The Artificial Intelligence-Neuroscience Interface (contact Prof. M.O. Shea, email m.o-shea@sussex.ac.uk), and Space Motion Processing in the Auditory Systems (contact Prof. D. McAlpine, email d.mcalpine@ucl.ac.uk). A Satellite Symposium of particular interest has been organized by Prof. Richard Apps and Prof. D. Marple- Horvat of the University of Bristol and Prof. Chris Miall of Oxford and is entitled The Significance of Inferior Olivary and Cerebellar Cortical Activity for Motor Control. The participants and their respective topics are: Dr. Tom Ruigrok (Rotterdam) Anatomical and physiological organization of olivary circuits Dr. Martin Garwicz (Lund) Functional organization of olivocerebellar zones and microzones Dr. Kris Horn (Phoenix) Inferior olive neuronal activity during behavior Dr. Shigeru Kitazawa (Tsukuba) Information conveyed by olivocerebellar afferents Dr. Steve Lee (Bristol) Gating of olivocerebellar afferent pathways Dr. Markus Juptner (Essen) What do the cerebellum and basal ganglia contribute to motor control: lessons from PET experiments Dr. Dilwyn Marple-Horvat (Bristol) Signal processing in paravermal and hemispheral cortex during visually guided stepping and reaching Dr. Yasushi Kobayashi (Okazaki) Temporal firing patterns of complex spikes of Purkinje cells in the cerebellar ventral paraflocculus during ocular following responses in moneys Dr. Timothy Ebner (Minneapolis) Combining movement direction and speed signals in the discharge of Purkinje cells: encoding velocity Dr. Chris Miall (Oxford) The lateral cerebellum and visually guided movements: evidence of a forward model For further information on this symposium please contact Prof. D. Marple-Horvat, email d.e.marple-horvat@ bristol.ac.uk. The overall FENS meeting will consist of Special Interest Workshops, Technical Workshops, several Plenary Lectures, 43 Symposia, and Special Interest Symposia. In addition there will be several other special presentations and lectures. For further information on this meeting, including general information on potential travel routes to Bristol, visit the web site http://www.fens2000.org.

National Cinemas in Postwar East-Central Europe

On a beautiful, warm Thanksgiving weekend in 1998, the participants of the National Cinemas Conference met in the eerily quiet corridors of University College at the University of Western Ontario. We exchanged anecdotes and shared memories of our trips to Central and Eastern Europe, and discussed many recent changes in East-Central European cinema. Strong coffee and doughnuts helped to raise our spirits during the proceedings. This professional gathering provided a valuable forum for the discussion of recent trends in cinema's role in the presentation, as well as the implementation of and social change in East-Central Europe. It also dealt with the current complexities in this part of the world and the influence of these complexities on film. In the years following World War Two, East-Central European countries have developed distinguished cultures. In the past ten years, however, from state sponsored, well-organized, bodies of production and distribution they have turned into dispersed, fragmented organisms, fighting for funding, audiences and new means of expression. Since 1989, the year that marked the official abolition of the Communist system, with the de-Sovietization and rapid Westernization profoundly affecting East-Central Europe, East-Central European cinemas have started to produce a variety of films: these range from genre films reflecting the transplantation of American poetics into European realities to intensely personal films; from world class animation to highly esteemed documentaries; from films to spiteful comedies. During the conference, we observed that the post communist period continues to be characterized by an attempt to overcome modes of thought and habits characteristic of the prec eding phase, one symptom of which is the abandonment of strategies in the reading of films. East-- Central European audiences, historically having favoured films, seem to have grown tired of the political. The Aesopian strategies, metaphors and symbols prevalent before 1989 no longer dominate the industry, nor do hidden archives, censored scripts and victimized dissidents constitute the film landscape. Film-making has ceased to fulfill only a national and social mission and, instead of being a political weapon, has again become an entertainment endeavour. With these ideas in mind, the participants of the conference examined in depth Hungarian, Polish, Belarusan, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Czech and Soviet cinemas, as well as that of the former Yugoslavia. The conference was organized by the Film Studies Program at the English Department of the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and generously funded by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, The Department of English, The Department of French, and the Visual Arts Department at the University of Western Ontario, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The Dean of the Faculty of Arts Grant from the J.B. Smallman Research Fund and a Department of English Research Grant financially supported the publication of the issue of Canadian Slavonic Papers. I would like to thank Professors Kathleen Okruhlik, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and Patrick Deane, Chair of the Department of English, for their understanding and assistance during the long months leading to the publication of this work. I would also like to acknowledge the extraordinary help and patience of the Editor of Canadian Slavonic Papers, Professor Edward Mozejko, and the Assistant Editor, Dr. Gust Olson. Our cooperation during the editing of this special issue spanned many grueling weeks. Thanks to their perseverance and meticulousness, this double issue has emerged in its present form. Last but not least, I would like to thank my editorial assistant at the University of Western Ontario, Scott Holden, a graduate student in the Department of English, who helped me edit the texts written by our East European colleagues. …

ESBRA: passport for the development of biological research on alcoholism in Europe.

When founded in 1980, the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ISBRA) co-existed with the American Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) and the Japanese Medical Society of Alcohol Studies (JMSAS). To strengthen European alcohol research and cooperation between European scientists involved in alcohol research, it appeared desirable to build up a counterpart to the North American and Japanese societies which would cover all of Europe. On the initiative of J.-P. von Wartburg, at that time President of ISBRA, a Steering Committee for the foundation of a European Alcohol Research Society was set up during the 1982 ISBRA Congress in Munich, Germany. R. Nordmann was asked to, and accepted the chair of this Committee, which, among other activities, sent all European ISBRA members as well as other European scientists involved in alcohol research a questionnaire, Organizational Survey for the Foundation of a European Alcohol Research Society. A large majority of those to whom this questionnaire was addressed expressed their strong interest in the foundation of such a society. The Steering Committee therefore established tentative by-laws, which were sent to their European colleagues and approved by a vote which took place during the ISBRA Congress in Helsinki in 1986. The name chosen for the new Society was the European Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ESBRA) and its by-laws were deposited in Brussels and the Society was registered on 12 March 1987 as a scientific non-profit-making association by the Belgian Ministry of Justice under the authority of King Baudouin. ### General assembly The Annual General Assembly, during which the activities and budget of ESBRA are discussed and submitted to the membership for approval, meets alternately during the ESBRA Congresses (organized during uneven years) and the ISBRA Congresses (organized during even years). ### Officers of ESBRA The Society is managed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership …

The Pediatric Pharmacology Research Unit (PPRU) Network and Its Role in Meeting Pediatric Labeling Needs

This meeting marks a milestone in the quest for solutions to the phenomenon referred to by Harry Shirkey in this country 3 decades ago as the problem of the therapeutic orphan.1 I know that the European colleagues who have come to share their knowledge and experience have long concerned themselves with ways of overcoming this same phenomenon in their respective countries. The person who has been attacking this issue for the longest time in the United States is Sumner Yaffe, the progenitor of this meeting and the man responsible for the development of the Network of Pediatric Pharmacology Research Units (PPRU) from his position as director of the Center for Research on Mothers and Children of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Iam indebted to Sumner for the opportunity to chair the PPRU Network Steering Committee and to Jeffrey L. Blumer, the principal investigator (PI) at the Cleveland PPRU site for planning today's watershed event. There have been numerous reasons given by pharmaceutics manufacturers over the years for their failure to sponsor tests that would provide data sufficient to result in approved labeling for pediatric use when new drugs were introduced (for the purposes of this talk, I'll speak to the issues that we face in the United States only, but I recognize that similar issues exist in virtually every country represented at this conference). The advances made in several spheres of endeavor and the creation of the PPRU Network have primarily eliminated virtually all the arguments that have been used over the years to avoid the development of labeling for the use of most drugs for pediatric indications. The most commonly used excuses for failure to provide the results of pediatric studies for labeling of new drugs, or for new pediatric indications for …

Un foro de debate sobre el seguro de enfermedad: las conferencias del Ateneo de Madrid de 1934

This work studies one of the stages of the negotiating process of the State Health Care System in Spain, using the content of the «Ateneo de Madrid» conferences which held this subject at the beginning of 1934 as its prime source. It aims to show what the Spanish doctors' opinions were about the National Health Service at that time, and to highlight the influence of their European colleagues' views. It emphasizes on detecting the differences and concomitances with the German and French professionals, due to the influence that the models established in Germany and France had on the design of the Spanish National Health Service.

Editorial

There could not be a more exciting time in which to take over the editorship of Health Libraries Review. The world of information is in a state of continuing turbulence. Around us old structures are crumbling and new ones emerging, some in sharp focus, others less distinct. Patterns of publishing and scholarly communication are being disrupted and we cannot yet see what paths between publishers, subscription agents, librarians, readers and writers will become the best trodden. In healthcare there is a new and urgent emphasis on the need for integration of services across sectors and recognition that decisions must become more patient-centred. The need for healthcare decisions to be evidence-based is no longer a special requirement for clinicians. We all, as practitioners, students, teachers and researchers have a responsibility to question what we do and ensure that the services we deliver are not only client-centred but also based on sound evidence. As librarians and information professionals we have the opportunity to occupy a pivotal position within the spreading culture of evidence-based healthcare and take on roles that will allow us to use our best talents and training to serve and educate colleagues in the health professions. I see our sphere of influence extending far beyond the walls of our libraries and organizations, and our constituencies becoming less well defined by location or geography. For this reason, I believe that it will be likely that we will all come to share many more areas of common concern. It is therefore important to strengthen the links that we have already established with our European colleagues through the European Association Health Information and Libraries (EAHIL) and to initiate much closer contact with librarians in the Americas and in other countries. Unquestionably our journal will change. I hope that Health Libraries Review will continue to chronicle the ambiguities and the difficulties that surround us, but also, through our contributors, we will signal new trends and thinking, and demonstrate unequivocally the best paths to take. Whilst we recognize the need to consolidate our electronic presence, we also believe it important to update our print-on-paper image and so will be changing the appearance of Health Libraries Review and perhaps its title. In this issue we include a survey which we hope you will complete, without delay, so that we can shape our plans taking into account your views and wishes. In this issue Tanya Pyne and her colleagues look at the information needs of clinicians who wish to practice evidence-based healthcare. Linda Simpson, Rajan Madhok and Paula Whitty consider the systems operating in a single health authority to enable clinical effectiveness. How far the information-seeking behaviour of medical researchers is different to other health professionals is the subject of Jan Murray’s work. Frank Norman provides a comprehensive overview of genetic information resources, a field perhaps new to medical librarians, and Elizabeth Schlenther writes refreshingly about the role of reading in healthcare. Her article is especially welcome as we believe that it is important to extend the base from which we draw contributions and hope to encourage many more librarians and information professionals who work in the community to write for publication. I am both fortunate and unfortunate in succeeding Shane as Editor. Fortunate because I have such a solid achievement to build on and such committed colleagues to work with in the Editorial team and on the Editorial Board. Without Penny Bonnett, Margaret Forrest and Gail Lee the future challenges would be that much greater. I am unfortunate in having to meet the very high standards set by Shane whose contribution to our profession cannot be overstated. I look forward very much to editing Health Libraries Review and to reading your contributions. I would like to encourage you all to consider writing about your work and research and, further, ask that you encourage your colleagues to do the same. No journal can survive and grow without a steady flow of contributions from those who practice and carry out research. If we are to confirm not only our traditional place as providers of information systems and services, but also stake a claim on the high ground, I believe that it is important to share our experience, our ideas and our work. High-quality information and well-managed knowledge systems are the bedrock of effective healthcare. We must show those who seek information that our skills and knowledge are essential to the development of clinical practice, health services management and to innovation.

The Tragic Success of European Psychoanalysis: "The Budapest School"

By the end of World War I the Hungarian Psychoanalytic movement was strong and deeply integrated into the cultural life of Budapest. The paper discusses how Budapest lost its growing eminence as a center of European psychoanalysis because of the political-social changes in Hungary in the year 1918?1920. The author examines the two waves of Hungarian emigration between the world wars, the first in the early twenties to the Weimar Republic, and then in the thirties, to the United States and Australia. These moves of important Hungarian psychoanalysts, account both for the destruction of the Budapest School and at the same time for its influence in other countries. The author highlights the outstanding role of the American Psychoanalytic Association in setting up the ?Emergency Committee on Relief and Immigration? and thereby saving the lifes of many European colleagues. America was open to European psychoanalysis and in return immigrants facilitated the development of modern psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. The influence of Vienna, Budapest and Berlin can be traced in the contemporary psychoanalytic culture in the United States.

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment in Germany: Principles, Practice and Evaluation

This paper was presented to the 6th European Congress on Research in Rehabilitation, 31 May‐4 June 1998 in Berlin. It reflects the fact that, in Germany, there is a more structured and research‐based approach to moving people into employment than we are used to in the UK ‐ one of the many cultural differences which we can learn from in our partnerships with European colleagues. It should also be remembered that the Germans regard Douglas Bennett as the source of many of their ideas and that there are nearly 2000 people with mental health problems working in German social firms as a result of their systematic approach.

Accreditation and authorization in environmental analysis

Since 1989 testing laboratories in Europe have had the possibility to confirm their competence in carrying out certain testing procedures by means of accreditation. Over the years an independent European Accreditation system has been developed, which many member states of the European Union have joined. The existing accreditation organizations joined to form the unified organization EA (European Cooperation for Accreditation) in 1997. Members of this organization are, inter alia, one representative of the accreditation authorities of each of the member states. The German accreditation system is different to the European system in that it is split. Here, we differentiate between the sector established by law and that which is not. Both sectors, however, pursue the same goal. Because of this double certification of competence and the resulting multiple reviews, German testing laboratories face a considerably greater load in comparison to their European colleagues. Several authorities are already working on the removal of this split accreditation system. The efforts must, however, be concentrated and brought into line. Efforts by the DAP and DACH for flexible accreditation and the creation of a standardized registration authority for testing laboratories in the field of workplace measures are examples of how the German accreditation system could develop in the future.

Surgical triumvirate of Theodor Kocher, Harvey Cushing, and William Halsted.

It is difficult to evaluate precisely the effects of one individual on an entire discipline such as surgery. Indeed, it is impossible to do so when such a discipline spans so vast a country as the United States of America. Nevertheless, as a mountain peak can be seen from afar, so may one perceive the influence of man of Kocher's stature. His connection with Halsted and especially Cushing provided a direct link between the grandeur of Kocher's achievements and their lineal translation to a generation of evolving American surgeons. Both individuals, by personal example and professional endeavor, transmitted the precepts of Kocher to the nascent surgical fellowship of America. Thus the icon of Swiss surgery, recognized by a Nobel laureate and esteemed by his European colleagues, became a profound influence on American surgery. The triumvirate of Kocher, Cushing, and Halsted may thus be acknowledged as of vital consequence to the establishment of American surgery during the twentieth century.

Presidential address: Venous disorders—Reflections of the past three decades

Presidential address: Venous disorders—Reflections of the past three decades

A tale of two continents: a physicist's life in a turbulent world

People like myself, who truly feel at home in several countries, are not strictly at home anywhere, writes Abraham Pais, one of the world's leading theoretical physicists and author of the biography of Einstein, Subtle is the Lord, near the beginning of this chronicle of his life on two continents. His tale describes his period of hiding in Nazi-occupied Holland (he ended the war in a Gestapo prison) and his life in America, particularly at the newly organized Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, then directed by the brilliant and controversial physicist Robert Oppenheimer. Pais tells fascinating stories about Oppenheimer, Einstein, Bohr, Sakharov, Dirac, Heisenberg, and von Neumann, as well as about nonscientists like Chaim Weizmann, George Kennan, Erwin Panofsky, and Pablo Casals. His enthusiasm about science and life in general pervades a book that is partly a memoir, partly a travel commentary, and partly a history of science. His recollections of his years as a university student become sombre with the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940. He was presented with an unusual deadline for his graduate work: a German decree that July 14, 1941, would be the final date on which Dutch Jews could be granted a doctoral degree. Pais received the degree, only to be forced into hiding from the Nazis in 1943, practically next door to Anne Frank. After the war, he went to the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Copenhagen to work with Niels Bohr. In 1946 he began his years at the Institute for Advanced Study, where he worked first as a Fellow and then as a Professor until his move to Rockefeller University in 1963. Combining his understanding of disparate social and political worlds, Pais comments on Oppenheimer's ordeals during the McCarthy era and his own and his European colleagues' struggles during World War II.