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Gallia BUTNARU1 Abstract. The research and teaching activity of Prof. Dr. Victor Ghimpu was highly synchronized with the major scientific trends in leading European centers, notably in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Russia. In an era when classical genetics merged with the microscopic analysis of cells and nuclei, Dr. Ghimpu placed Romanian karyology on the global scientific map through pioneering studies on chromosome and satellite structures. However, in countries later trapped behind the Iron Curtain, such as Romania, cytogenetics had to be rediscovered following the destructive period of Lysenkoism (ca. 1948–1964). The turning point for Eastern Europe’s return to classical genetics occurred at the landmark International Mendel Memorial Symposium held in Brno in 1965. This event marked the rehabilitation of ”Miciurinism” genetics in the region, attempting to recover nearly half a century of lost priorities and stalled progress in karyological research. Lysenkoism was officially abandoned in the USSR and its satellites shortly after 1964. Claiming it lasted until 1988 is factually incorrect; by the late 1950s and 1960s, Romanian agricultural universities were already teaching classical genetics under the guise of ‘creative Darwinism’ [23], as a masked way to educate students. Keywords: karyology; cytogenetic progress; Europe; Romania; Victor Ghimpu’s work; 20th century. DOI 10.56082/annalsarsciagr.2026.1.66 Read full article 1Prof. emeritus; dr.h.c. Senior Researcher, University of Life Sciences of Timișoara, Timișoara, România, Department of Genetics, Full member of the Romanian Academy of Scientists; (e-mail: galliab@yahoo.com). |
PUBLISHED in Annals Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Agriculture, Silviculture and Veterinary Medicine
ISSN PRINT 2069-1149 ISSN ONLINE 2344-2085 |
