Egon and Ann Diczfalusy Foundation

Dear Friends, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour and privilege for us to extend a most cordial welcome to you to the Third Meeting of the Egon and Ann Diczfalusy Foundation at the University of Szeged. We also gratefully acknowledge that this Symposium is co-sponsored by the Medical Faculties of the Universities of Szeged, Hungary, Novi Sad, Serbia and Timisoara, Romania, the CONRAD Program, Arlington, VA, USA, Institut Biochimique SA, (IBSA) Lugano, Switzerland, Gedeon Richter Plc. Budapest, Hungary and the SonoSite Corporation, Bothell, WA, USA.

We come from different countries, speak different languages, have different cultural backgrounds and perhaps even different political persuasions. However, we are firmly united by a common ideology: we all profoundly believe that it is possible to improve the human condition by the judicious use of the achievements of science, in general and of the medical sciences in particular.

More than 200 years ago, in the year 1785, William Cowper remarked that "knowledge is proud that he has learned so much; Wisdom is humble that he knows no more." For us, scientists, it is easy to agree with T.S.Eliot, that "the only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility: humility is endless " (1940). We also hope to always remember the words of Albert Einstein "One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike - and yet it is the most precious thing we have" (1955). Why is it so? Because science represents one of those extremely rare activities, which are cumulative, self-correcting and progressive. Science knows no frontiers, it travels around the world without a passport and makes its achievements available to every human being; its fruits are the common property of humankind. This has been emphasized by Anton Chekov already in 1888: "There is no national science just as there is no national multiplication table; What is national, is no longer science".

To finish these quasi-mathematical reflections, let´s mention a statement by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Notes from Underground, 1864): "I admit that two times two makes four is an excellent thing, but if we are to give everything its due, two times two makes five is sometimes a very charming thing too." In our view it is not only charming, but of fundamental importance for understanding synergisms. We strongly believe that in a fruitful collaboration two times two may make six, or more, and in collaboration among scientists even a great deal more. It was in this spirit that we have last year initiated a scientific collaboration with our colleagues from neighbouring countries and we are delighted to see here so many leading scientists from Romania and Serbia among the main speakers of this Symposium. We are equally pleased to warmly welcome - as important speakers and chairpersons - our colleagues and friends from Belgium, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States of America. We are convinced that - thanks to all these contributions - this meeting will be a very successful one. Last, but not least, we would also like to thank the local organizers, Professor György Bártfai, Mrs. Tamara Mikó, Mr.Károly Nagy and their collaborators, who worked hard and late hours to make this Meeting possible.

We wish all of you a fruitful meeting and a most pleasant sejour in Szeged, Hungary.