Ion Moraru and his forgotten Nobel Prize

The 1985 Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to the Organization "International Physicians for the prevention of Nuclear War". In Oslo, the award was received by the three leaders of the organization, Michail Kuzin (USSR), Ioan Moraru (Romania) and Bernard Lown (USA) - "instead of being won by Nicolae Ceauşescu!". Consequently, in Romania the event was barely mentioned, and the three winners were completely ignored.

The three met in the '60s in Geneva at the OMS (World Health Organization), where Lown had been president, and Kuzin and Moraru vice-presidents. After an excellent cooperation and after their mandate ended, the three remained friends. Concerned about the consequences of an always possible nuclear conflagration, they decided to imagine scenarios with the hypothetical results of such a catastrophe. The data they have presented constituted the findings of scientists, and not simple science fiction literature, thus their warnings had an important international echo. For giving strength to their action, they needed an institutionalized framework, and thry founded the organization "International Physicians for the prevention of Nuclear War".

Ioan Moraru (September 5, 1927, Dârlos - December 19, 1989, Bucharest) graduated the Faculty of Medicine in Cluj. He worked successively in the departments of physiology, forensic medicine and pathology, through all stages of the hierarchy, from rookie to head of department. He was director of "Mina Minovici" Forensic Institute and director of "Victor Babeş" Institute, member and vice-president of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Ion Moraru was Secretary General (1964-1966), then Deputy Minister (1966-1969) of the Ministry of Health. He represented Romania at the World Health Organization as a member of the Executive Committee and Vice Chairman of this committee. Moraru was elected post-mortem as a member of the Romanian Academy.