Where are they

Title

Where are they

Language

English

Source

The Cabletow Volume XLIII (Issue No.12) December 1967

Year

1967

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

Filipinos in Science. . • Where are they? WB Eugenio Padua, PM [Published in “The Balita,” Oct. 19, 1967] At a recent meeting of the Bos well Club a participant pointed out that 100 percent of the Nobel Prize winners in Science (Physics, Che mistry,. Physiology and Medicine) were born, brought up or edu cated in milk-drinking and meateating nations outside of the tropics — or within the land areas around the world bound by Latitudes 30°-60° North and South of the Equator, es pecially from areas bound by Lati tudes 42°-58°. “Proximity to the Equator,” he said, “seems to be poison as far as chances of winning the Nobel Prize is concerned. According to him, in tropical oil rich Kuwait there is now a “massive airconditioning program” and he re commended for the Philippines a sys tematic exploitation of aircondition ing in all its ramifications especially in school house designs. Further, that school classes be shifted to night time or early morning hours “to avail of the cold during learning periods.” Quoting from a report of the Food Technology Department of the Mas-achusettJs Institute of Technology, he said that the human brain practi cally reaches full development dur ing the first three years of a child's life and any malnutrition at this stage can cause irreparable damage to the natural development of a child’s in tellect and result in partial or total mental retardation. We have looked up Kuwait and have found that it is now “virtually a paternalistic welfare state where health services are free to all resi dents, including visitors, and facili ties are plentiful and excellent; edu cation is free from kindergarten to university, including transportation, books, stationery, school uniforms and hot lunches; top-ranking stu dents may study abroad at govern ment expense.” The Philippines falls within the verv large area in which there have been no Nobel Prize winners, or even nominees. So do Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos. Vietnam and Cambodia on this side of Asia. So do all other countries in Asia and Africa, except, Japan. China, India and South Africa. In fact, of the 117 members of the United Nations Organization, only 26 countries have produced Nobel l’r’ze winners in science. For 66 years (up to 1966) there have been 265 awardees, of whom eight were women. They were, by nationality of birth, as follows: 54 native-born Americans, be sides 24 other American ci tizens who were foreign-born; 52 native-born Germans, not in cluding one former Hunga rian but including 10 former Germans who became citizens of other countries; 45 native-born Britishers, not in cluding five other British sub jects who were foreign-born but including one former Brit ish ; 18 native-born French, not in cluding four other French Turn to next page DECEMBER, 1967 who were foreign-born but in cluding two former French; 12 native-born Russians, includ ing three Russian-born but no longer Russian citizens when they won; 14 native-born Italians, not in cluding one Italian citizen who was foreign-born but in cluding two former Italians; 11 native-born Danes; 9 native-born Austrians, not in cluding one other Austrian who was Hungarian-born but including five originally Aus trian-born ; 9 native-born Dutchmen; 7 native-born Hungarians, in cluding six citizens of other countries but originally Hun garian-born ; 7 native-born Swedes, not in cluding one Swedish subject who was a former German; 6 native-born Swiss, not includ ing four Swiss citizens who were originally foreign-born but including three originally Swiss-born; 3 native-born Poles who were no longer Polish citizens when they won; 2 native-born Australians: 2 Belgians; 2 Japanese; 2 Czecks (including 1 Ameri can citizen) ; 2 Chinese (both American citizens); 1 native-born Canadian; 1 Ar gentine: 1 Portuguese: 1 Finn : 1 Indian: 1 South Afri can (American citizen); 1 Brazilian (British subject). The first awardees (in 1901) were a German in Physiology and Medi cine, a Dutchman in Chemistry, and another German in Physics. In Chemistry, in Physics and in Physiology and Medicine, the prizes first won by native-born Americans were in 1914, 1923 and 1933, res pectively. It was in 1907 when an American citizen (born German) first won a Nobel Prize (Physics). In 1912 another naturalized American citizen (born French), Dr Alexis Carrel (an agnostic who finally be lieved in the miraculous cures at Lourdes after actually seeing them), won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. From 1901 to 1966 the Englishspeaking peoples ranked No. 1; Ger manic, No. 2; Romance, No. 3; Sla vic, No. 4; Scandinavian, No. 5. Of the 265 awardees, 260 were of the white race, and five were Orientals (one Indian, two Japanese, two Chinese). None of the 265 were born and/or educated in the tropics! Of the total 78 American winners, 24 were originally foreign-born five German, four Austrian, three Hun garian, two French, two Italian, two Chinese, one Spaniard, one Czech, one South African, one Russian, one Swiss, one Britisher). No American scientist has ever gone over to any other country. Bil lions of dollars a year are being set aside in the U.S. for research in the exploitation of previous scientific breakthroughs and in the expansion of the storehouse of fundamental knowledge of science and technology. All aspects of research taken toge ther are the mightiest force in the U.S. economy and have become an inseparable part of it. After the Fall of the Roman Em pire in the fifth century there was a barren period of almost eight cen turies for Science until versions of the Greek scientific works were trans lated into Latin from the Arabic in the 13th and 14th centuries. Islamic Science, which flourished between 850 and 1200, left “a deep impress on the Latin world in al chemy, mathematics, astronomy and Turn <0 page 91 The Cabletow WHERE ARE THEY?. . . From P.e. 4 medicine." Science in the Latin West came mostly from Moorish Spain. By 1550, the world’s scientific he ritage had been fully recovered. But, alas, the descendants of the originators, as well as those of the early inheritors, seem to have lost the genius of their ancestors! The Greeks and the Arabs of today arc no better than the present-day Fili pinos. Does this prove the truth of the statement that Science may be regarded as a mood -in which we consider our world” and that “no man is always in the same mood, and no man of science remains per manently in the scientific mood?” Perhaps climate has had something to do with the slow progress of peo ples in the tropics but there is ample evidence to show that their mental capacity is not hopelessly inferior to that of peoples in the temperate zones. Maybe it can be said that, like the present-day Greeks and Arabs, we simply are not at this time in a scien tific mood, because of our economic and social underdevelopment but not because of our proximity to the Equa tor. It would be an impossibility for us, for the next hundred years per haps, to set aside billions for scien tific and technological research and development and it would be non sense to beat our breasts and say we could equal the United States and the few other advanced countries in these fields. What we must do quick ly is to avail ourselves of their al ready available scientific and techno logical knowledge and discoveries un der the “time-binding process” and thus push our own economic and so cial development without very costly experimentation. A GOLDEN RULE... From pogo 14 ing, let us admonish them as brothers and not as enemies. Forbearance and humbleness drive away hatred and endears one to another. Masonry also teaches us to be compassionate, share with the misfortunes of others and to extend a helping hand to a fallen brother. Let this kind of love as taught by Masonry and as prac ticed by Masons be felt by non-masons. Let us be bound by a strong bond that gives the kind of love and af fection needed by all, a love that is reciprocated by an equal love, a true love that is unselfish and unifying. Let us learn a lesson from the iowly dog who loves its master and is faith ful till death. Let the same hold true to human beings. Love begets love. Masonry teaches us to be charit able even to our enemies, for charity is the greatest of all virtues and the bond of perfectness. Charity eman ates from a pure heart; when given, it relieves the distressed of his bur den and a new ray of hope springs forth and shines on his life. Water is sweet when given to the thirsty, bread is life when given to the hun gry. Not all Masons are rich, nay, some could hardly make both ends meet, but they can afford to be charit able just the same. All Masons know that to get butter one has to churn. A Dr*. Anadeto & Del Mundo DR. P. DEL MUNDO-ADAMS CLINIC Hearing Aids * Contact lenses * RX. Glasses ♦ Plastic Eyes 606 & 414 Rizal Ave., Manila 1120 A. Mabini St., Ermita Naga City * Hotel Great Eastern, Manila DRS. ANACLETO & DEL MUNDO DECEMBER, 1967 21

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