Antonio Ambrosini 1888–1983

Antonio Ambrosini 1888–1983

Acta Astronautica Vol. 12, No. 2. p. 136, 1985 0094-5765/85 $3.00 + .00 Pergamon Press Ltd, Printed in Great Britain IN MEMORIAM ANTONIO AMBROSINI ...

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Acta Astronautica Vol. 12, No. 2. p. 136, 1985

0094-5765/85 $3.00 + .00 Pergamon Press Ltd,

Printed in Great Britain

IN MEMORIAM ANTONIO AMBROSINI

1888-1983

Professor Antonio Ambrosini--Count Palatino--was born in Favara (Sicily) on 10 September 1888 and died in Rome on 15 August 1983. He graduated in Law, " c u m laude", and devoted himself to a university career. At the age of 23 he was appointed to his first chair and thus became Italy's youngest university full professor. He taught in almost all branches of jurisprudence. He first approached aviation when he entered the "Regia Aeronautica" where he met the major representatives of this sector: going from Caproni to Nobile. He also obtained his pilot's licence and was one of the very few non-airplane pilots to be awarded the title of "Pioniere dell'Aviazione" (Aviation Pioneer). In 1923 he wrote and edited the Rules of Air Navigation that were later adopted as a supplement to the Navigation Code, which is still the source and reference point of Air Jurisprudence in Italy. Furthermore, he was one the signers of the Chicago Convention and member of ICAO.

At the beginning of the space era he laid down the foundations of this advanced law sector (1967-1970) and founded the chair of Astronautics and Space-Law of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Rome. His activity was not confined to Italy alone; in fact, he edited the Argentinian and Brazilian Air Code, he was Italy's representative to the UNO where he chaired the subcommittee for the Peaceful Use of Outer Space. He was also the Rector of the University of Camerino and never gave up his interest in this discipline. The one who is now writing these few words to his memory will never forget the noble and wise figure of Professor Ambrosini when he made his shrewd and learned remarks on the occasion of national or international scientific meetings dealing with Space-Medicine.

ARISTIDE SCANO

Acta Astronautica Vol. 12, No. 2, p. 136, 1985

0094-5765/85 $3.00+.00 Pergamon Press Ltd.

Printed in Great Britain

IN MEMORIAM U L F WON E U L E R - C H E L P I N

1905-1983

Professor Ulf von Euler-Chelpin, who died on 10 March 1983 at the age of 78, was a member of the Academy since it was founded. He was professor and chairman of the Department of Physiology at Karolinska Institutet 1939-1971, President of the Nobel Foundation 19651975, and Vice-President of the International Union of Physiological Sciences 1965-1971. Von Euler gained worldwide recognition as a physiologist long before he became Nobel Laureate. Already in the 1930s he made his first discoveries in the field to which he dedicated himself throughout his life--the search for chemical signals that control physiological events in health and disease. At this early stage he discovered substance P, a polypeptide acting as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. This work led to the discovery of prostaglandin, later found to be a class of biologically highly active components of great importance in many pathological conditions. But it was for his work on chemical transmission of signals in the sympathetic nervous sys-

tem that von Euler would become most widely recognized. In 1946 he was able to identify noradrenaline as the main neurotransmitter of the sympathetic nervous system. His discoveries in this area have been of great importance for the understanding of the body's responses to different stress situations. For this work von Euler was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine-Physiology in 1970. He was also a great promoter of the application of new knowledge in the medical services and related areas. His early membership in the Academy was significant in this respect; he had a keen interest in the medical problems of manned space flight, and his advice was much sought in international conferences and symposia in this area. He was also a member and honorary member of a great number of Swedish and foreign academies and scientific societies, and Doctor Honoris Causa at many universities all over the world. HILDING BJURSTEDT

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