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Opening address by Andre de Vries
Toxfcon, 1970, Vol. 8 . pp. 10103. Peranmon Peas. Printed in Great Britain .
OPENING ADDRESS BY ANDRE n>3 VRIE5 President of the International Society on Toxinology February 22, 1970
Youit Excellencies the Minister of Health, Ambassadors, the Mayor of Tel-Aviv, members of the International Society on Toxinology, participants at the Symposium from abroad and from Israel, guest scientists, ladies and gentlemen. It is to me a great honour and equally a great pleasure to welcome you at the Second International Symposium on Animal and Plant Toxins organized by the International Society on Toxinology, this time in Israel under the auspices of Tel-Aviv University, and opening now this evening of February 22nd, 1970 in your presence . I am delighted especially to greet the participants from abroad who 110 in number came from 24 different countries, and the 70 participants from Israel . We appreciate your decision to risk the hazards of Mediterranean travel in favour of a friendly scientific gathering concerning the subject of our interest-toxins. I extend to you greetings on behalf of three bodies : the International Society of Toxinology, which now enters its eighth year of existence, the organizing committee of this symposium, Professor Kaiser from Vienna, Professors Shulov and Mechoulam, Kochva and myself from Israel, and finally the Tel-Aviv University under whose auspices this symposium is held. At this occasion I wish to thank all those who assisted in the shaping of this meeting, especially Mr. Rivlin and his co-workers of Kenes organization and Mr. Ezoory of the travel agency as well as the secretaries of the Tel-Aviv University, its Department of Zoology, and the Rogoff Medical Research Institute. The members of the Society on Toxinology are kept together by their joint interest in the subject matter, toxins, that is substances of natural origin which are poisons to living beings. Generally, we toxinologists are occupied with toxins originating from animals, plants and microbial organisms. No doubt, however, there are also toxins of human origin, as evidenced even in this symposium by the studies on toxins in human saliva. Indeed, the toxicity of the human has been mainly manifest on the social level by the action of toxins produced by the human mind, depressing human rights and causing wars and genocide in this century all over the world. Regrettably, the Mediterranean region is an example of the action of such spiritual human toxins. It would be easy if we could neutralize the war toxins of the mind by antisera mono- or polyvalent, as we do when we administer antivenin to a snake-bitten patient, or as is done in Japan by vaccination. Unfortunately, we cannot as yet. Even more serious, the world population is now being subjected by an expanding wave of hedonistic drug consumption, such as marihuana, heroin and what not. Here we have a situation where substances of natural origin affect the human mind, so as to change the spiritual reaction of the human to his environment. 103
104
Opening Address
We toxinologists attach such importance to this subject that we begin this symposium with a discussion on the modern drug problem, introducing a chemist, an artist, a pharmacologist, a psychiatrist and a judge. I do not know what their general conclusion will be and they even may not reach a joint opinion. Some might say, even this evening, that, hopefully, such mind poisons might neutralize our hatred producing toxins . I do not believe this. Intuitively, I would say that such drugs are socially harmful, in that they facilitate the escape of the individual from his responsibility as a world citizen to utilize each moment his full consciousness towards world improvement. I personally am all out against use of those drugs and, although this has not been included explicitly in my mandate as president of the society, I shall fight drug-taking. As toxinologists we have a further reason to think about the social impact of our subject matter, the toxins . In isolating, characterizing the natural toxins, producing their derivatives and synthesizing them and their analogues, we may well be capable one day to provide political leaders of this world with weapons for warfare. Shall we not be in the same position as the physicist whose atomic bomb might be let loose by somebody else? Shall we agree to let our toxins loose? I hope we all will be occupied in the next years, in addition to our biological, biochemical, pharmacological and immunological activities, with the social impact of our scientific work. It seems appropriate that the second symposium of our society is held in Israel . The subject of toxinology is not new in the Middle East, it goes back thousands of years. Let me read to you from the Bible, Numbers XXI, 4-9 : "And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom : and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people snake against God, and against Moses. Wherefore have ye brought us up . out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water ; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people ; and much people of Israel died . Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people . And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole : and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live . And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."
As you will understand, Moses' method of treatment is not being used any more in Israel today ; it has been replaced by antivenin. Still, in connection with this biblical cure of snake bite, it will be of interest to you that recently Dr. Rotenberg of the department of Archaeology of Tel-Aviv University has excavated at Timna in the Southern-most part of the Negev desert an Egyptian temple dedicated to the Goddess of Mining by the name of Hathor . This temple was served by the Egyptians and the local Midianites who left numerous temple gifts. In the central shrine of the temple a small partly gilded copper snake was found . Since this temple belongs to the period of Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, that is the 13th century s.c., and the area where it was found belonged at that time to the Biblical tribe of Midian which was related to the children of Israel through the marriage of Moses with the daughter of their high priest, we may see this copper snake as the first evidence for the snake cult so beautifully described in the Bible. Indeed,
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Opening Address
105
this copper snake, found at the very spot indicated to us by the Bible, provides evidence for the historical reliability of our biblical source . Thus, being conscious of the scientific and social importance of our subject and conscious of its historical continuity, and being grateful for and delighted with your participation, toxinologists, foreign and Israeli, I open the symposium and wish you a pleasant stay in Israel .
OPENING ADDRESS BY ANDRE n>3 VRIE5 President of the International Society on Toxinology February 22, 1970
Youit Excellencies the Minister of Health, Ambassadors, the Mayor of Tel-Aviv, members of the International Society on Toxinology, participants at the Symposium from abroad and from Israel, guest scientists, ladies and gentlemen. It is to me a great honour and equally a great pleasure to welcome you at the Second International Symposium on Animal and Plant Toxins organized by the International Society on Toxinology, this time in Israel under the auspices of Tel-Aviv University, and opening now this evening of February 22nd, 1970 in your presence . I am delighted especially to greet the participants from abroad who 110 in number came from 24 different countries, and the 70 participants from Israel . We appreciate your decision to risk the hazards of Mediterranean travel in favour of a friendly scientific gathering concerning the subject of our interest-toxins. I extend to you greetings on behalf of three bodies : the International Society of Toxinology, which now enters its eighth year of existence, the organizing committee of this symposium, Professor Kaiser from Vienna, Professors Shulov and Mechoulam, Kochva and myself from Israel, and finally the Tel-Aviv University under whose auspices this symposium is held. At this occasion I wish to thank all those who assisted in the shaping of this meeting, especially Mr. Rivlin and his co-workers of Kenes organization and Mr. Ezoory of the travel agency as well as the secretaries of the Tel-Aviv University, its Department of Zoology, and the Rogoff Medical Research Institute. The members of the Society on Toxinology are kept together by their joint interest in the subject matter, toxins, that is substances of natural origin which are poisons to living beings. Generally, we toxinologists are occupied with toxins originating from animals, plants and microbial organisms. No doubt, however, there are also toxins of human origin, as evidenced even in this symposium by the studies on toxins in human saliva. Indeed, the toxicity of the human has been mainly manifest on the social level by the action of toxins produced by the human mind, depressing human rights and causing wars and genocide in this century all over the world. Regrettably, the Mediterranean region is an example of the action of such spiritual human toxins. It would be easy if we could neutralize the war toxins of the mind by antisera mono- or polyvalent, as we do when we administer antivenin to a snake-bitten patient, or as is done in Japan by vaccination. Unfortunately, we cannot as yet. Even more serious, the world population is now being subjected by an expanding wave of hedonistic drug consumption, such as marihuana, heroin and what not. Here we have a situation where substances of natural origin affect the human mind, so as to change the spiritual reaction of the human to his environment. 103
104
Opening Address
We toxinologists attach such importance to this subject that we begin this symposium with a discussion on the modern drug problem, introducing a chemist, an artist, a pharmacologist, a psychiatrist and a judge. I do not know what their general conclusion will be and they even may not reach a joint opinion. Some might say, even this evening, that, hopefully, such mind poisons might neutralize our hatred producing toxins . I do not believe this. Intuitively, I would say that such drugs are socially harmful, in that they facilitate the escape of the individual from his responsibility as a world citizen to utilize each moment his full consciousness towards world improvement. I personally am all out against use of those drugs and, although this has not been included explicitly in my mandate as president of the society, I shall fight drug-taking. As toxinologists we have a further reason to think about the social impact of our subject matter, the toxins . In isolating, characterizing the natural toxins, producing their derivatives and synthesizing them and their analogues, we may well be capable one day to provide political leaders of this world with weapons for warfare. Shall we not be in the same position as the physicist whose atomic bomb might be let loose by somebody else? Shall we agree to let our toxins loose? I hope we all will be occupied in the next years, in addition to our biological, biochemical, pharmacological and immunological activities, with the social impact of our scientific work. It seems appropriate that the second symposium of our society is held in Israel . The subject of toxinology is not new in the Middle East, it goes back thousands of years. Let me read to you from the Bible, Numbers XXI, 4-9 : "And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom : and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people snake against God, and against Moses. Wherefore have ye brought us up . out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water ; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people ; and much people of Israel died . Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people . And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole : and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live . And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."
As you will understand, Moses' method of treatment is not being used any more in Israel today ; it has been replaced by antivenin. Still, in connection with this biblical cure of snake bite, it will be of interest to you that recently Dr. Rotenberg of the department of Archaeology of Tel-Aviv University has excavated at Timna in the Southern-most part of the Negev desert an Egyptian temple dedicated to the Goddess of Mining by the name of Hathor . This temple was served by the Egyptians and the local Midianites who left numerous temple gifts. In the central shrine of the temple a small partly gilded copper snake was found . Since this temple belongs to the period of Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, that is the 13th century s.c., and the area where it was found belonged at that time to the Biblical tribe of Midian which was related to the children of Israel through the marriage of Moses with the daughter of their high priest, we may see this copper snake as the first evidence for the snake cult so beautifully described in the Bible. Indeed,
z0 üz
`z W a 0
H a c z a
W 0
Tox . f.p . 104
zc W V:
V _z Z W
C.
0 U z
m a 0 a w â w ß ud!. t+ C C 4
, ..1
a z0 Ha z
d W
r .z. W x rW r 0
Y~
a
Qy W W d
F~a
od d
W
C
O
â~ ,. r z.. °zX W
O
U ,Z O F W W 5 .
.~ a a . 0 O d
a
d z
X C H F z
a ä z` Q Y C
z c Fa z W
F z 0
cz W
s
F F
a
v. F z
aa C.
F C < C
Opening Address
105
this copper snake, found at the very spot indicated to us by the Bible, provides evidence for the historical reliability of our biblical source . Thus, being conscious of the scientific and social importance of our subject and conscious of its historical continuity, and being grateful for and delighted with your participation, toxinologists, foreign and Israeli, I open the symposium and wish you a pleasant stay in Israel .