Jan Moor-Jankowski
Encyclopedia
Jan Moor-Jankowski was a Polish
-born American
primatologist and a fighter for Polish independence against Nazi Germany
. Dr. Moor-Jankowski was Director of the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates
(LEMSIP) which he founded in 1965, the Director of the World Health Organization
Collaborating Center for Hematology
of Primate
Apes, and the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Primatology.
Moor-Jankowski was the author and editor of many books, monographs and periodicals, and more than 200 papers on human genetics
, hemophilia, blood groups
, immunology
and primate medical experimentation.
and grew up in Częstochowa
. His father was an engineer
and an architect
, and his mother a concert pianist. When his mother's cousin developed cancer
, at the age of five, Moor-Jankowski decided that he wanted to be a research
physician
in order to find a cure.
When Germany
invaded Poland in 1939, Moor-Jankowski joined the Polish Army, at the age of 15, and his family moved back to Warsaw. When Poland was overrun, the family moved back to Częstochowa. With the Polish schools closed by the Nazis
, he obtained a high school
diploma
without official government recognition.
When his father disappeared in 1942, Moor-Jankowski joined the Polish Resistance
. He would later write that he wanted something of himself to carry on, and so he fathered a son, Tadeusz, who was born in 1942. He saw the child once, when he was two weeks old, but did not see him again for 35 years.
Moor-Jankowski was fighting in Warsaw uprising
. He was injured by an explosive bullet in his knee, and he was forced to move from hospital to hospital, pretending to be a German officer in order to survive. Eventually, his impersonation was discovered, and he was imprisoned by the Germans, and then later by the Soviets
. He finally escaped to Switzerland
, where he earned a medical degree.
primate
lab. It was there that he used chimpanzee
s for medical research, including work on the discovery of the first Hepatitis B vaccine
and the development of techniques to freeze blood
for storage.
He was elected to the French Academy of Medicine in 1995, replacing Linus Pauling
as the only American member.
The journal published a letter from an animal rights
advocate which criticized the Austria
n drug company Immuno AG for its plans to capture wild chimpanzees for research. When Immuno AG sued for libel, Moor-Jankowski refused to settle the lawsuit, instead battling for seven years, with two appeals to the New York State Supreme Court and one to the United States Supreme Court. He eventually prevailed in the state courts, in a decision which many hailed as a victory for letters to the editor against libel lawsuits. The litigation, however dragged on for years, while Immuno AG petitioned the court for a rehearing. One of the longest, most bitter and expensive libel suits finally ended when Immuno AG's petition was ultimately denied on June 3, 1991.
reports to the federal government regarding cruelty
to chimpanzees in the care of a colleague. Moor-Jankowski cooperated with authorities in stopping experiments conducted by Ron Wood, who had been addicting
primates to crack cocaine
and depriving them of water. The United States Department of Agriculture
cleared NYU of illegal retribution against Moor-Jankowski, even though its investigative arm reported NYU had clearly retaliated against him in violation of federal law..
i Prime Minister's Office, Life Sciences Division in 1971, and the G. Bude medal by the College of France in 1979. In 1984, he was awarded the Knight of the French Order Ordre National du Mérite
for resistance activity in World War II
and for scientitic achievements.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
primatologist and a fighter for Polish independence against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Dr. Moor-Jankowski was Director of the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates
Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates
The Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates was a New York University research facility founded in 1965 by Edward Goldsmith and Jan Moor-Jankowski. The Tuxedo, New York-based outfit was a prominent vendor of primates and primate parts in the New York metropolitan area...
(LEMSIP) which he founded in 1965, the Director of the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
Collaborating Center for Hematology
Hematology
Hematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of biology physiology, internal medicine, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases...
of Primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
Apes, and the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Primatology.
Moor-Jankowski was the author and editor of many books, monographs and periodicals, and more than 200 papers on human genetics
Human genetics
Human genetics describes the study of inheritance as it occurs in human beings. Human genetics encompasses a variety of overlapping fields including: classical genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, genomics, population genetics, developmental genetics, clinical genetics,...
, hemophilia, blood groups
Blood type
A blood type is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells . These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group system...
, immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
and primate medical experimentation.
Early life
Moor-Jankowski was born in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and grew up in Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
. His father was an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, and his mother a concert pianist. When his mother's cousin developed cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, at the age of five, Moor-Jankowski decided that he wanted to be a research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
in order to find a cure.
When Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
invaded Poland in 1939, Moor-Jankowski joined the Polish Army, at the age of 15, and his family moved back to Warsaw. When Poland was overrun, the family moved back to Częstochowa. With the Polish schools closed by the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, he obtained a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
without official government recognition.
When his father disappeared in 1942, Moor-Jankowski joined the Polish Resistance
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
. He would later write that he wanted something of himself to carry on, and so he fathered a son, Tadeusz, who was born in 1942. He saw the child once, when he was two weeks old, but did not see him again for 35 years.
Moor-Jankowski was fighting in Warsaw uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
. He was injured by an explosive bullet in his knee, and he was forced to move from hospital to hospital, pretending to be a German officer in order to survive. Eventually, his impersonation was discovered, and he was imprisoned by the Germans, and then later by the Soviets
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He finally escaped to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where he earned a medical degree.
Career
Moor-Jankowski eventually moved to the United States, where he worked mainly at a New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
lab. It was there that he used chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s for medical research, including work on the discovery of the first Hepatitis B vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
and the development of techniques to freeze blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
for storage.
He was elected to the French Academy of Medicine in 1995, replacing Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling
Linus Carl Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century...
as the only American member.
The Journal of Medical Primatology
Moor-Jankowski founded the Journal of Medical Primatology.The journal published a letter from an animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
advocate which criticized the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n drug company Immuno AG for its plans to capture wild chimpanzees for research. When Immuno AG sued for libel, Moor-Jankowski refused to settle the lawsuit, instead battling for seven years, with two appeals to the New York State Supreme Court and one to the United States Supreme Court. He eventually prevailed in the state courts, in a decision which many hailed as a victory for letters to the editor against libel lawsuits. The litigation, however dragged on for years, while Immuno AG petitioned the court for a rehearing. One of the longest, most bitter and expensive libel suits finally ended when Immuno AG's petition was ultimately denied on June 3, 1991.
Whistleblower
In 1995, Moor-Jankowski was summarily dismissed from his position by NYU, and barred him from the LEMSIP lab he founded, because of his whistleblowerWhistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
reports to the federal government regarding cruelty
Cruelty
Cruelty can be described as indifference to suffering, and even positive pleasure in inflicting it. If this is supported by a legal or social framework, then receives the name of perversion. Sadism can also be related to this form of action or concept....
to chimpanzees in the care of a colleague. Moor-Jankowski cooperated with authorities in stopping experiments conducted by Ron Wood, who had been addicting
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
primates to crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
and depriving them of water. The United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
cleared NYU of illegal retribution against Moor-Jankowski, even though its investigative arm reported NYU had clearly retaliated against him in violation of federal law..
Recognition
Moor-Jankowski was presented with the Trumpeldor medal by the IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Prime Minister's Office, Life Sciences Division in 1971, and the G. Bude medal by the College of France in 1979. In 1984, he was awarded the Knight of the French Order Ordre National du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
for resistance activity in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and for scientitic achievements.
External links
- MediaLaw.org - 'Dr. Jan Moor-Jankowski, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Medical Primatology, William J. Brennan, Jr.
- SatyaMag.com - 'What's Up With NYU?' (editorial), Martin Rowe
- SignOnSanDiego.com - Jan Moor-Jankowski; scientist's use of primates led to a vaccine against hepatitis B (obituaryObituaryAn obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
), Douglas Martin, The New York Times (September 11, 2005) - WarsawUprising.com - 'Warsaw UprisingWarsaw UprisingThe Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
1944: August 1 - October 2', Jan Moor-Jankowski