George Vithoulkas - Professor emeritus nomination part 3

One last thing; we had this conversation with Mr Avramopoulos and we said: Provide regulations. Either you like it or not, it is a reality and by regulating the area between this vast therapeutic world and possible other therapeutic practices you will also open the way to what has been missing from our country for the last 2,500 years or so. That is to say, we need to reconsider the matters of health, of well-being, as well as the substantial matters of life and death with all the wisdom and heritage of our ancestors. Matters we seem to methodically forget nowadays. I hope this gesture regarding Mr Vithoulkas rocks the boat, so to speak. Essentially, though, it is an act of honour to a man who brought the name of our country in the international forefront for important matters. Congratulations, Mr Vithoulkas! Thank you, Mr Troumpis. I would like to ask Professor Ioannis Darzentas to present the work of the honoree. Esteemed Rector, representatives of the authorities, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen; I have to say, even though it might sound well-worn, that it is truly an honour to be here this evening. But you will allow me to stick to the text because it is so rich in content I don’t want to forget anything of the things I have included; some with more, some with less words. I would also like to express a hearty thanks to the Rector and…the [former] rector, Mr Troumpis, because I think they managed to communicate the warmth, the love, the intrepidity, the innovation, the vanguardism, and the special character of this Institution, for which we are all proud. The man we honour here today has a record of achievements and many international distinctions in recognition of his work and of his important role in building the scientific foundation of classical homeopathy but also for his amazing contribution in its application in practice. For more than forty years he has strived to teach homeopathy and to bring its benefits to many patients for which conventional medicine, allow me the expression, has thrown in the towel. He has put homeopathy back on the map with speeches and presentations before various bodies... George Vithoulkas is currently a Professor Emeritus of the Moscow Medical Academy, a Professor at the Kiev Medical Academy, and a Collaborating Professor at the Basque Country University School of Medicine in Spain. As already mentioned by Mr Troumpis, in 1996 he was awarded with the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the "alternative Nobel award". I think Mr Troumpis highlighted very strongly and very profoundly the importance of this fact; what an honour it is for us as a country, as scientists and as a University to have Mr Vithoulkas with us! The United Nations classify this "amongst the world's most prestigious awards". In 1995, George Vithoulkas established the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy in Alonissos, where thousands of doctors from more than thirty countries around the world have been trained. I have witnessed myself the passion of these numerous people, their will to stay and learn from the master. He has authored more than twelve books, translated into twenty languages. Many of his articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals, he is mentioned in Pap Med and elsewhere. In 1980, the World Health Organization asked G. Vithoulkas to write an article on homeopathy to be included in the book "Traditional Medicine" published by the WHO, as well as the main roundtable article in WHO’s scientific journal "World Health Forum". In 1998, the Council of Europe asked George Vithoulkas to provide information on homeopathy. Among other things, a Council's report on health mentions that in May 1998 the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee consulted G. Vithoulkas, the homeopath who had been awarded with the alternative Nobel prize. In December 1996, G. Vithoulkas was invited to visit the President of the European Parliament, the Commissioner for the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, as well as the Parliament's Committee on Alternative Therapies established in 1995 and the members of which had not yet reached a decision about the policy that should be followed in Europe on issues of alternative therapies. Commissioner Kenneth Collins also asked G. Vithoulkas to express his opinion in writing on issues pertaining to alternative medicine. Collins brought a relevant bill for passage through the Council which was voted with a vast majority. Member states were required to promote homeopathic research. In a relevant article in the Papyrus-Larousse-Britannica encyclopedia he is referred to as the top homeopath, one of the most celebrated homeopathy reformers in the 20th century; the one who gave new, scientific, dynamics to homeopathy. There are, of course, many other distinctions: gold medals, honours which could be mentioned and are attributed to his globally acclaimed work. But I think the few things I have mentioned suffice to show the magnitude and the importance of this man. His solo work in supporting and shaping the thousands of his observations, with his enviable scientific instincts, has enabled him to modernize and to further establish this 200-year-old field of knowledge. Around 2000, our department met with the Academy, and with Mr Vithoulkas, of course, who, as always, was generous with his time and his support, to discuss the potential of cooperation on a research and educational level. As a result, in 2004, under the auspices of the then Rector, Professor Socrates Katsikas, the Academy of Classical Homeopathy and the University of the Aegean started cooperating, offering a two-year seminar leading to a certificate of competency. This experience helped us design a successful proposal for the creation of a postgraduate studies programme, which, under the auspices of the then rector, Mr Troumpis, accepted the first students in October 2007 and continued to develop dynamically. It’s been four years since its inception, and the recognition of the programme is steadily growing. George Vithoulkas has been the driving force and the pull factor in both instances. He has given, apart from his unfailing knowledge, a great part of his time, he has donated both his own books and many books included in the international literature, invaluable audiovisual material, while encouraging his colleagues and students to support the research and educational work of the postgraduate programme; he continues inspiring his students with his teachings and the teleconference sessions we offer in each weekly class. Naturally, the postgraduate programme would not have been such a success and it wouldn’t have the necessary momentum to continue without him. A huge "thank you" to Geroge Vithoulkas for everything! Thank you, Mr Darzentas. And now, ladies and gentlemen, please stand up for the conferral of the title. Mr Darzentas, please read the resolution. By decision of the General Assembly, meeting no. 2/15.10.2009, ratified by the University's Senate, meeting no. 28/5.11.2009, and promulgated in the Official Gazette Issue no. 307/23.3.2010 Β, we confer the title of Professor Emeritus to Mr George Vithoulkas, son of Nikolaos, in acknowledgment of his contribution in the science of homeopathy and, more specifically, within the framework of the postgraduate studies programme "Holistic Alternative Therapeutic Systems – Classical Homeopathy".