An emblematic personality of the Academy of Medical sciences: Nicolae Cajal (O personalitate emblematică a Academiei de Ştiinţe Medicale: academicianul Nicolae Cajal)

This is a booklet dedicated by one of the scholars of the history of the Academy of Medical Sciences from Romania, Nicolae Baltă, to one of the most important virologists of the second part of the 20th Century. Nicolae Cajal (1919-2004) was admitted to the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1969 for his achievements in the field of microbiology and virology. He started as correspondent member six years before, and due to his managerial skills he became, step by step, chairman of his section in the Academy, member of the board and finally president of the Academy of Medical Sciences. His section was preventive medicine. In 1969 the four sections of the Academy of Medical Sciences were the following: preventive medicine (Nicolae Cajal), medical biology (Stefan Milcu), clinical medicine (Radu Paun) and pharmaceutical studies (Petre Ionescu-Stoian). In the postcommunist era, Nicolae Cajal became the president of the Academy of Medical Sciences till his death in 2004. This long period of governance shows the respect that his colleagues showed to Prof. Cajal and also his competence as leader. Most of the same period of time he was also the President of the Romanian Jewish Community, being thus very much involved not only in scientific work, but also a social activist. The author, Nicolae Balta, himself an honorary member of the same Academy, emphasizes in his booklet less on the biographical data of Cajal, but mainly on his activity as president of the Academy and on the personal contacts with him; in this way he presents some correspondence not published before, addressed by Cajal to him at the Academy of Medical Sciences. The book is well written, easy to read and brings new information on one of the most popular medical doctors of this country in last decades.