Scientific Memorial for G. Ioannidis 

(Athens Medical Society, March 21, 1953)

At the session of March 21, 1953, the Athens Medical Society held a scientific memorial in honor of Ioannidis. The obituary was written and read to the members by his former student, friend, and collaborator, Georgios K. Pangalos.

Athens Medical Society 

Session of March 21, 1953 

Chairmanship of K. Choremis

**K. Choremis (President) – Upon the Death of G. Ioannidis**

“Esteemed Colleagues,

The Athens Medical Society recently mourned the loss of one of its distinguished and valuable members, Georgios Ioannidis. The departed colleague, who also served as vice president of our Society, was a fine example of moral integrity, unassuming kindness, and scientific honesty.

The Society, paying tribute to his memory, holds today a reverent memorial service for our departed colleague and asks Mr. Pangalos to briefly review his work.

Mr. Pangalos is invited to the podium.”

“G. Pangalos. – It has fallen to me to perform the sorrowful duty of speaking about the life and work of an outstanding member of the Society, Georgios Ioannidis, whom Greek science lost far too early.

We shall no longer see in this auditorium the attentive listener, nor hear the modest speaker.

This scientific memorial is not merely a tribute to the memory of the deceased; it will also be useful for younger colleagues who perhaps did not know him well enough and who should regard him as a model.

When one speaks of someone who has passed away, one is often obliged to overlook certain aspects of his life, for there are rarely people whose lives are without shadows. In the case of Ioannidis, there is nothing that needs to be forgotten. His life was a crystal-clear jewel, and he had made it the purpose of his life to live according to the chivalric ideal: without fear and without remorse. The greatest virtue of Ioannidis, in my opinion, was precisely what some regarded as his weakness—his modesty.

Yet this supreme modesty, this *summa modestia*, which in reality is *summa superbia*, was what made him avoid pushing others aside in order to advance, choosing instead to proceed steadily, relying solely on his own abilities. It was thought that he lacked ambition because he did not seek honors and positions. Nevertheless, he possessed one ambition—the noblest of all—to be impeccable in the fulfillment of his duty. If everyone, or at least many people, possessed the same conception of duty that Ioannidis had, how much more splendid the edifice of science would be.

The conscientiousness and diligence with which he studied every subject enabled him to acquire immense wisdom. Rarely would one see him without a book in hand. It should be noted that he was almost entirely self-taught.

He did not travel abroad or attend foreign institutes and universities. He drew his knowledge from books and observation. He was among the most regular attendees of the meetings of the Medical Society, where, as he rightly said, one learns both from the knowledge and from the foolishness of the speakers.

His critical mind allowed him to identify both the valuable aspects and the errors or weaknesses in any scientific work. He accepted nothing he read without first judging and discussing it.

He possessed profound knowledge of general medicine and was therefore able to assess not only microbiological issues but broader medical questions as well. A tireless scholar and technician, he was an invaluable collaborator. Years ago, when I undertook the writing of “Clinical Microscopy and Biology,” I turned without hesitation to Ioannidis and asked him to write it with me. I never regretted it. The chapters he undertook and wrote bear the stamp of meticulous scholarship and scientific rigor. The same virtues are evident in his later publications, communications, and lectures. I must especially mention two lectures on viruses that he delivered in a series of talks on biological subjects at the laboratories of Professor Pantazis. With great method and clarity, he spoke for nearly two hours on this controversial and immensely fascinating topic and succeeded in conveying to his audience all the latest achievements of science.

But let us examine more systematically the scientific work of Ioannidis. His contribution to science was not quantitative but qualitative.

His publications number only thirty-eight. Had he wished, they could have been ten times as many, but he considered it beneath him to publish matters lacking genuine interest.

G. Ioannidis was born in Aigio in 1893. He completed his secondary education there. He enrolled at the University of Athens in 1909 and graduated in 1914. From that year until 1923 he served in the army, like almost all of his contemporaries.

During his military service he did not limit himself to official duties but studied and specialized in microbiology. Because he possessed a solid and broad general education, he was already publishing observations on kala-azar in Greece as early as 1914. The observations he made during his military service provided material for several publications, including studies on the Widal serological reaction in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, on icterohemorrhagic spirochetosis, and on the cooperation between military and civil authorities regarding public health and preventive measures.

In 1924 he was appointed deputy director of the Central Health Laboratory of the Ministry of Health. Here too he did not confine himself to the formal exercise of his duties but carefully studied every problem that arose and published his observations. From this period come works concerning the plague epidemic in Messenia and the waterborne typhoid fever epidemic in Aigio.

When, in 1926, he assumed the position of laboratory director at the Hellenic Pasteur Institute, now a mature microbiologist, he began the most productive phase of his career, both theoretically and practically. In 1930, alongside his work at the Pasteur Institute, he undertook the organization of the laboratory of the Hellenic Red Cross Hospital, where once again he left the mark of his conscientious and meticulous work. Any task that had to be carried out flawlessly was entrusted to Ioannidis.

He was the only person in Greece who worked systematically in human mycology and was an authority on the subject. Particularly noteworthy were his views on actinomycetes, regarding whose classification he held independent opinions.

For example, he distinguished streptothrix organisms from the actinomycetes, considering them in fact an intermediate type between mycobacteria and actinomycetes.

A profound expert in immunobiology, he studied the phenomenon of lysis of agglutination reactions in serological tests generally, and especially in syphilis and anaphylaxis.

His contribution to the study of anaerobes was extremely important, at a time when this field, at least from the standpoint of practical applications, was largely unknown in our country. His publication *Anaerobic Infections in Clinical Practice* was the first to draw the attention of Greek physicians to this highly significant area of microbiology.

One of Ioannidis’s most important services to Greek medicine was his campaign in support of the anti-tuberculosis vaccine.

At a time when B.C.G. still inspired considerable distrust, only two or three microbiologists, led by Ioannidis, had the courage to educate their colleagues on the subject. As a result, Greece became one of the first countries to benefit from this life-saving preventive measure.

Although by temperament conservative, Ioannidis, once convinced of the value of B.C.G. through careful study, did not hesitate to engage even in a public press campaign to support it. It was therefore natural that he was later entrusted with the highly responsible task of preparing the vaccine, and the first conclusions regarding its use from the Greek side were presented at the International Congress in Paris in 1929.

Such, in very brief review, was the life and work of our beloved friend, distinguished colleague, and eminent scientist G. Ioannidis. I present him as a model to future generations and hope that he will find worthy imitators.

I ask the President’s permission to request that the members observe one minute of silence and turn their thoughts to the memory of G. Ioannidis.”