The activity of the Polish Electrical Engineers – prisoners of war in German Woldenberg POW camp

The paper presents information about POW camps in Western Pomerania during World War II and describes the activities of electricians – Polish prisoners of war in the POW camp Woldenberg II C (now Dobiegniew) between 1940 and 1945. It was the largest camp for the officers of Polish Army captured by the Germans in September Campaign in 1939. Many of the Polish reserve officers in civilian life were intellectual elite in pre-war Poland: engineers, scientists, high-ranking managers etc. Peak number of Polish officers in Woldenberg II C can be estimated on level of 7 thousands. Basing on experiences of Association of Polish Electrical Engineers officers in this POW camp started activities in electrical sciences and technologies called secret ‘University of Woldenberg’. This action of Polish officers is unique achievement in the European history of education. They developed the project of the electrification program for post-war Poland and the use of water resources in Podkarpacie and Pomerania for hydro-generation of electric power. There were impressive celebrations in the camp organized on August 6, 1944 under the slogan "SEP Days". The summary of the work includes information on the commemoration of the prisoners' work and proposals for honoring the merits of electricians imprisoned in Woldenberg camp for the development of Polish electrical engineering.W pracy przedstawiono informacje o obozach jenieckich na Pomorzu Zachodnim w trakcie II wojny światowej oraz opisano działalność elektryków w obozie jenieckim w Woldenbergu II C w latach 1940-1945, obecnie Dobiegniew. Był to największy obóz dla polskich oficerów i równocześnie polskiej elity intelektualnej w III Rzeszy, w którym w szczytowym okresie było blisko 7 tys. osób. Scharakteryzowano, wzorowaną na doświadczeniach Stowarzyszenia Elektryków Polskich, działalność edukacyjną na tajnym uniwersytecie woldenberskim oraz naukowo-techniczną. Organizowane działania podjęte przez oficerów polskich były zjawiskiem niepowtarzalnym w europejskiej historii oświaty. Wskazano zasługi grupy inżynierów elektryków, którzy opracowali projekt programu elektryfikacji kraju i wykorzystania zasobów wodnych Podkarpacia i Pomorza. Odnotowano imponujące obchody w obozie, jakie w dniu 6 sierpnia 1944 roku zorganizowano pod hasłem „Dni SEP”. W podsumowaniu pracy zamieszczono informację na temat upamiętnienia dzieła jeńców oraz przedstawiono wnioski i propozycje dotyczące uhonorowania zasług elektryków — Woldenberczyków dla rozwoju polskiej elektryki

Beyond reverse pharmacology: Mechanism-based screening of Ayurvedic drugs

This paper reviews the pharmacology of Indian medicinal plants, starting with the historical background of European work on the subject beginning as early as the 17th century, and tracing its history through the work of Sen and Bose in the 1930‘s, and Vakhil’s historic 1949 paper on Sarpaghanda. The often crucial role of patient feedback in early discoveries is highlighted, as is the time lag between proof of pharmacological action and identification of the active principle, and subsequent elucidation of mechanism of action. In the case of Indian plants in the 20th century this process sometimes took almost 50 years. Reserpine and its mechanisms are given in detail, and its current relevance to public health discussed. The foundation of present day methods of pharmacology is briefly presented so the complexity of methods used to identify properties of Ayurveda derived drugs like forskolin and baicalein, and their bioavailability, may be better appreciated. Ayurveda derived anti-oxidants and their levels of action, immuno-modulators, particularly with respect to the NF-kB pathway and its implications for cancer control, are all considered. The example of curcumin derived from turmeric is explained in more detail, because of its role in cancer prevention. Finally, the paper emphasizes the importance of Ayurveda’s concepts of rasayana as a form of dietary chemo-prevention; the significance of ahar, diet, in Ayurveda’s aspiration to prevent disease and restore health thus becomes clear. Understood in this light, Ayurveda may transcend pharmacology as a treatment paradigm