Abstract
ON February 28, while the Eusso-Furnish War was stiU in progress, the Editors wrote to Prof. Artturi Virtanen, of the Biochemical Institute, Helsinki, inviting him to send a message to scientific workers at large. Readers, and especially those interested in biochemistry as applied to agriculture, will be pleased to learn that Prof. Virtanen is safe and hopes to continue his scientific work. A letter, dated April 1, has just reached NATURE office, in which Prof. Virtanen writes: “I thank you for your kind letter of February 28, and am pleased to say that I have managed to retain my life during the war. My scientific work was, however, interrupted from the beginning of November. The danger to which my country and our civilization was subjected necessitated my taking up other kind of work. Our institute was emptied owing to the men joining the army and the young ladies being engaged on women's auxiliary labour. Three of my collaborators gave their lives for their country: L. Mansikkala, M.A., L. Eerola, M.A., and A. Arhimo, M.A., all men on whose forehead our Lord had written the word Honour. Together with Mr. Arhimo I have in this journal published two Letters to the Editors concerning the oxaloacetic acid and other keto acids in the plants. Following the destructive air bombing of Helsinki on November 30, I wrote my last letter to NATURE, as there was a possibility of my not being able to continue my work. Should circumstances permit, I hope to resume my reports to NATURE in the near future.”
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Prof. A. Virtanen: Helsinki. Nature 145, 654 (1940). https://doi.org/10.1038/145654a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/145654a0