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Laszlo (Laci) Revesz was an internationalist. He spoke eight languages (with a strong Hungarian accent) and much of his life was devoted to breaking down national barriers. It was natural that he should support the Pugwash movement, and he attended meetings of the Pugwash Group. But he was primarily concerned, during the Cold War period, with the day to day difficulties experienced by Scientists in the Soviet Block. He helped Soviet Scientists to obtain scarce materials for their experiments, and to publish in western journals. Laci was born near the border between Romania and Hungary. His first language was Romanian, the first of many! His father was Hungarian, and his mother Jewish. He was not brought up as a Jew, and attended a Roman Catholic school, although neither religion had much effect on his later life. He spent the war in Budapest, where as a partly Jewish person, his life was in danger. His parents were divorced, and his father was nervous about the Jewish connection. On one occasion, Laci spent an evening with his father, but his father said, "Of course you cannot spend the night." Laci played a part in the anti-Nazi underground movement during the war, taking food to Jewish families, although he always said that his role was not an important one. His group was arrested by Hungarian Nazis, but they were rescued by some of their colleagues, posing as German Officers. After the war, he began his medical studies. In 1948 before the Communists took over, when it was obvious that Communists would soon have total control, he left Hungary illegally, and this fact was to prove significant later on, when he wished to visit the Soviet Union. Laci escaped to Innsbruck in Austria where he continued his medical studies and married Alice Breur, another Hungarian refugee. Alice and Laci moved to Germany and later Sweden where he continued in medicine. His first aim was to be a Neurosurgeon, but he soon changed over to scientific studies, joining another Hungarian, George Klein, at the Cell Research Institute, then led by Caspersson. Klein and Revesz published a series of papers on tumor biology together, but he moved into Radiology in 1954, and soon made a very important discovery, the stimulating effect of radiation-killed cells on survivors which came to be known as the Revesz effect. The great importance of this work was not recognized at the time. For several years he worked closely with Hans Modig and Bo Littbrand, who became Professor of Oncology in Umea, Northern Sweden. Revesz cooperated closely with Professor Sugahara of Kyoto, Japan. In 1973, they edited a book entitled, "Fraction Size in Radiobiology and Radiotherapy." A chance meeting with Professor Saim Balmukhanov of Alma Ata (Almaty), Kazakhstan has a profound effect on the course of his life. Balmukhanov was a Radiotherapist with a deep interest in experimental work, and he cooperated with Revesz on several projects. Balmukhanov was a brave man who opposed the Brezhnev regime, when all soviet scientists were ordered to join in condemnation of the dissident, Sakharov. Revesz, with great courage, decided to visit the Kremlin, and to speak to the Soviet Minister of Health, his excuse being the existence of a signed agreement between himself and the Soviet Government to promote cooperative research. Through a network of influential friends in the Medical Establishment in Moscow, he succeeded in having a long interview with the Minister. Later, he heard that Balmukhanov had been restored to his position, and Balmukhanov said himself that the "Noise from the West" has been helpful. Because Revesz had left Hungary illegally in 1948, he could not be quite happy in the oppressive atmosphere of the old Soviet Union, and, as an additional safeguard, he always carried a Swedish Diplomatic Passport. For many years, Revesz was in an unfortunate position with respect to his scientific work, in that other workers had been unable to repeat his results. There were technical explanations for this confusion, which has not been resolved even today. This situation was not helpful to the development of his career in the West. When they run into difficulties of this kind, most scientists give up the battle. Revesz never gave up, and continued for years to investigate the problem he had discovered with great tenacity of purpose. It is sad that he did not live long enough to see the resolution of this conflict. Revesz, with A. Larsson, recognized the importance of cell lines congenitally deficient in glutathione sythetase for radiobiological research. In collaboration with Deschavanne and other French workers, he published a series of significant papers using these cells. He also studied the effects of BSO in reducing intra-cellular thiols, and attempted to combine all the results in a unified Theory called the X model. It is rather sad to note that a recent review (1998) on the oxygen fixation hypothesis did not quote a single paper from Stockholm. It may have been unfortunate, that the anoxic baseline was always obtained in Swedish Argon, which is not quite comparable to Nitrogen. Of direct importance to clinicians was his work on vascular density in tumouts with Eva Siracka. Outside science, Laci had many interests. He read widely and made a particular study of the works of Arthur Joestler. It is sad to reflect that Laci and Koestler both died of Parkinson's disease, although Koestler was not able to face the consequences of his disease. Laci was also interested in Opera, and had many friends in the Opera world. Having divorced his first wife, Alice Breur (who remained a very good friend), he married a Japanese girl, Susue Sakamoto, and they had one son, Ken. Revesz played an important part in the development of Radiation studies in Sweden, but his many friends will remember him for his integrity, single-mindedness, and courage. Sir Oliver Scott, Bt., M.D. |
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