Zénon Bacq

Zénon Marcel Bacq ( born December 31, 1903 in La Louviere, Hainaut, † July 12, 1983 in Fontenoy, Antoing, Hainaut ) was a Belgian radiation biologist who was awarded the prestigious Francqui Prize and the Prix Émile Cornez.

Life

After schooling Bacq studied medicine at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB ) and graduated in 1927 with a Doctor of Medicine from. After a year of research from 1929 to 1930 at Harvard University, he was 1931-1939 as a scientist at the Fonds national de la recherche scientifique ( FNRS ) where he was also Associate Professor in 1933 at the University of Liege. His research dealt with topics such as physiology, pathology, pharmacology and radiobiology.

In 1944, he finally accepted a full professorship at the University of Liège and also gained an international reputation as an expert in physiology. In his research, he also dealt with the chemical transmission of nerve impulses and discovered possibilities of chemical protection against ionizing radiation.

Bacq, who was also president of the Belgian Medical Association, was honored in 1948 with the Francqui Prize, the most important science prize Belgium. In addition, he received in 1959, named after Émile Cornez Prix de la Fondation Émile Cornez the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of the University of Mons -Hainaut. The awards were bestowed upon him because of his many important contributions to the physiology and pharmacology of the autonomic nervous system, animal physiology, the study of the sensitizers in potassium and the toxicology of war gases.

He was considered one of the founders of comparative pharmacology and engaged also for the interests of the Walloon Region. He was not only a member of the Association for the Promotion of the spiritual life and art in Wallonia ( Association pour le Progres et intellectuel artistique de la Wallonie), but took part in October 1955 as a member of the Standing Committee of the Second Walloon Culture Congress. He also was involved in the cultural center of Wallonia founded in 1956.

Bacq was beyond 1970-1979 President of the Association pour la Diffusion des Sciences ( ADS), an association of non-profit for the Advancement of Science and of publications in the fields of medicine and science.

Publications

• Fundamentals of Radiation Biology, Stuttgart 1958
• Ion alcalino - terreux. 1 Systèmes isolated exhaust, 1963
• Ion alcalino - terreux. 2 Organismes entiers, 1964
• Cell -bound Immunity with special reference to anti- lymphocyte serum and immunotherapy of cancer, co-author A. Castermans, Liege 1967
• Chemical transmission of nerve impulse: a historical sketch, Oxford 1975