ION BACIU (1921-2004)
One of the greatest scientists of the 20th century passed away on the
21st September, 2004. Ion Baciu was born in Orastioara de Sus, Hunedoara
district, Romania, on the 22nd of March 1921. He lived and worked most of
his life in his native country.
In 1946, he graduated from the Medical School in Cluj. During the
following decades, he made a brilliant career as a teacher, scholar and
administrator in his Alma Mater, advancing from junior assistant at the
Chair of Physiology and Medical Physics, to full professorship in Physiology
and Pathophysiology. He served as a department chairman, scientific
secretary of the Institute of Medicine and Pharmacy, dean of the Medical
School, pro-rector and rector of the Institute, and made a substantial
contribution to the eminence of the Cluj medical school at home and abroad.
During the almost 60 years of uninterrupted work as a teacher and scholar,
Professor Baciu was one of the most outstanding personalities of Romanian
medicine and science.
In his scholarly work, he pioneered many new areas of fundamental
research in physiology, neurosciences, pathology, immunology,
neuroimmunomodulation, and chronobiology. His early research, in the 1940's,
on the role of the central nervous system in phagocytosis and erythropoiesis,
carried out with extremely ingenious original techniques (the humorally
"isolated head" in dogs) lies at the foundation of the modern concept of
neuroimmune modulation. He was among the first to demonstrate the alpha-globulinic-protein
nature of erythropoietin, the role of the kidney in erythropoiesis, and
pointed to the central nervous component of erythropoietin regulation.
The list of his over 350 publications - handbooks, monographs, journal
articles - would fill too many pages, but let us mention that among his
books were theoretical and practical manuals and handbooks of physiology and
pathophysiology, that taught many generations of students and physicians. He
wrote also first-rate texts in these and in several other disciplines, such
as neurosciences and ergonomics. Unfortunately, for far too many years,
Romania was largely isolated from the world scientific community; yet,
during this entire period,* Ion Baciu wrote and published in peer-reviewed
journals all over the world, served as co-editor for the International
Journal of Neuroscience and other jounals in various specialties, and
maintained membership in international scientific societies. Despite all
difficulties generated by an oppressive political regime and/or lack of
economic means, he never despaired, and never gave up his research, writing,
studying, and teaching.
Ion Baciu was a gentle and generous soul, a dedicated teacher, and
thoroughly acquainted not only with sciences, but also with literature,
poetry, and art. He was one of the last true "Renaissance" men. Yet, his
multiple interests never obscured his first and last commitment, physiology,
which he considered the "queen of sciences" and the very essence of life. He
was our teacher, our most distinguished colleague, and a dear and loyal
friend. We miss him.
