L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020 L'Italo-Americano the medical school of the h i s t o l o g i s t G i u s e p p e Levi, the father of novel- i s t N a t a l i a G i n z b u r g . R i t a ' s f e l l o w s t u d e n t s i n c l u d e d t w o o t h e r future Nobel laureates — microbiologist Salvador Luria and a giant of can- c e r b i o l o g y , R e n a t o Dulbecco. In those post- V i c t o r i a n y e a r s , w h a t p r o m p t e d R i t a t o b e determined to shape her own existence? It is not possible to fully explain the reason for the choice itself. She claimed she did not have a true vocation in female-dominated fields. She would have liked to be a writer but kept saying she did not show a specific apti- tude for it. On the contrary, her handwritten letters so far from the typical styles of penmanship of the time do not contain a correction and are full of poetic passages and refined humor. Did she regret not hav- ing married and not hav- ing children? And was D u l b e c c o o n l y a l o n g - t i m e f r i e n d , n o t h i n g more? I never heard words of regrets from her. Children are joys and sorrows. She used to say: "When you have a child you don't know who you take within your home." I never dared to ask her any- thing about her love life as in the family we have the prin- ciple that respect for others consists of collecting what they want to tell you – we don't ask any further. Y o u r a u n t w a s v e r y organized. Did she find time for leisure reading? She loved Agatha Christie mysteries. In those books she s a w a s i m i l a r i t y w i t h h e r work: she said her work was a spy story. As the detective searches for the killer, she w a s l o o k i n g f o r t h e N F G potentialities. Her library, however, contains books on all kinds of subjects. She read constantly and consistently, marking the most interesting passages with a yellow post- it note. When she then start- e d w r i t i n g b o o k s , s h e claimed that this helped her continue reading and keep i n f o r m e d o n e v e r y t h i n g printed. She developed a spe- c i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h young people. She taught them the importance of w i l l p o w e r a n d h a r d work. That was after receiving t h e N o b e l P r i z e . E a r l i e r , when she taught, she didn't have much time for them. In the last years, she went to the laboratory every day to follow the work of her col- l a b o r a t o r s . S h e c o u l d n o longer carry out the research herself due to her almost total blindness caused by a maculopathy — and to think that as a young woman she had such a prodigious sight. She could operate on two to t h r e e - d a y - o l d c h i c k e n embryos invisible without t h e r e s o l v i n g p o w e r o f a m i c r o s c o p e . S h e w o r k e d with pins she forged in the shape of a scalpel, which she managed to hold with her thin and tapered fingers. S h e f o u n d i n s t u d e n t s attentive and respectful lis- teners. They were curious and eager to know and fol- low in her footsteps. At the end of each conference, she asked me, "What can these kids see in me, who I am so old? How can I help them?" S h e s a i d s c i e n t i s t s h a v e a n " e n o r m o u s " responsibility towards society. What would she say about today's virolo- gists in these COVID-19 times? T h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y m y aunt placed on scientists was above all that of the trans- mission of knowledge, what they know, and study. Only by making people aware of t h e p r o g r e s s o f s c i e n c e , mechanisms of control can be created over the use of sci- ence itself, only by explaining what is being experienced in a simple and understandable way can you avoid non-scien- tists becoming unaware vic- tims. My aunt did not blame scientists, requiring them to bear the responsibility of explaining phenomena that current knowledge cannot explain. Scientists are human beings and as such cannot be omniscient. The progress of science provoked an increas- ingly intense specialization that prevents having a global vision of problems — that is why interaction between spe- cialists of the various branch- es must become increasingly close and interconnected. If we want to talk about the pandemic still going on, I think that my aunt would not have looked favorably on the scientists who "knows every- thing." In 1944, in Florence, your aunt volunteered as a doctor with the Anglo- American troops. There, she also treated people hit by the typhoid fever epidemic and realized that kind of role was not suitable for her. She was unable to build the nec- essary personal detach- ment from the pain of t h e p a t i e n t s a s s h e recalled in her autobiog- r a p h y : " T h e r e w a s a n ongoing typhus epidem- ic, dozens of people died. I did everything, the doc- tor, the nurse, the sedan chair carrier. Day and night. It was hard and I was so lucky not to get s i c k . " H o w w o u l d s h e c o n s i d e r t h e c u r r e n t pandemic? What we have seen today is no different from what happened in the epidemics of past centuries. The ability to take on the pain of others is not for everyone. Aunt Rita had a great admiration for those doctors and nurses. She had exceptional diagnos- tic skills: from a few symp- toms she was able to quickly understand the type of dis- ease people were afflicted from. What is the best way to continue to honor her? Aunt Rita left great teach- ings and initiatives including, in 1991, the International Council of Human Duties, a Magna Carta for duties and a c o d e o f e t h i c s o f s h a r e d responsibility. I n I t a l y t h e r e a r e 9 0 schools named after her. The Levi-Montalcini Network I c r e a t e d c o n n e c t s a l l t h e schools through a memoran- dum of understanding to the Levi-Montalcini Association. The common commitment is having children trained in logical thinking and observa- t i o n o f t h e w o r l d a r o u n d them from a very early age. Taking nothing for granted, w e a r e t r y i n g t o i m p r o v e what is improvable as my aunt wrote in her autobiogra- p h y , I n P r a i s e o f Imperfection: My Life and Work . Only what is perfect cannot be improved, everything that is imperfect can be ameliorated. Kindergartens and prima- ry schools are the best vehi- cle for passing on the scien- tific and moral teachings of Rita. I am trying to expand these initiatives abroad and I am following carefully what others do in her honor out- s i d e o u r b o r d e r s . I n Montreal, an avenue is dedi- c a t e d i n h e r n a m e . T h e N a t i o n a l A c a d e m y o f Sciences in Washington host- ed two exhibitions on her. Other shows were in Madrid and Israel. To not disperse this cul- tural heritage, many human and material resources are needed. As I am an optimist, I am sure I will find someone who helps me. Rita is not only my aunt (even if some- times I am jealous!). She is the aunt of all school kids and of all those who valued her. I hope they will not want to separate her in memory from her two equally brilliant siblings. Rita Levi-Montalcini with the Swedish Royals in 1986, when she received the Nobel Prize in Stockholm (Photo courtesy of Archivio di Famiglia Piera Levi-Mon- talcini) " The major component for her success was determination " LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Continued from page 6

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