The Section of Culture of the EAPE held its Seminar on the 26th November in collaboration with the Louros Foundation in Athens.

The meeting was held in the headquarters of the latter (the actual house of Nikos Louros, Academician and former Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Athens). The meeting dealt with the information derived from the Louros Archives, a rich source of knowledge about the historical and cultural aspects of life covering the period 1896-1986. The information was inevitably focused on issues related to Greece but a broader international perspective was also present.

I had the opportunity to greet the participants on behalf of the EAPE and Prof. S. Geroulanos spoke on behalf of the Louros Foundation. Prof. Thanos Diamandopoulos, the coordinator of the EAPE Section of Culture was the coordinator of the meeting as well. He was the first speaker and highlighted some important issues having to do not only with the various scientific and cultural contributions of Louros but also with his personality.

The speakers that followed (Ch. Marinis and A. Tsielikas) presented interesting accounts pertaining to the contribution of Nikolas Louros to culture. It was interesting to note that, as pointed out by Mr Marinis, Louros was a hoarder as he collected and kept many objects of general but also of personal interest and probably had difficulty in getting rid of useless objects. For me, as a psychiatrist, this characteristic has some value in creating the characterological profile of this important person.

Mr Tselikas spoke about the performance of Louros as a philosopher. Indeed in the old times (during the period during which Louros lived) the so-called "iatro - philosophers" thrived. Persons endowed with the ability to think philosophically in addition to their main occupation which was Medicine. This reminds us of Greece in ancient times (5th to 4th century before Christ) when the concept of Philosophy incorporated a great number and variety of disciplines. Aristotle for example was an expert in practically EVERY discipline.

The last speaker was Katerina Gardikas who delivered an excellent talk that highlighted the contribution of Louros in education, not only as an academic but also as a politician (he was a Minister of Education in one of the governments of right- wing politician Konstantinos Karamanlis). From her account it became clear to me that although Louros started his career in a very protective environment he later developed into an independent leader with ideas and ambitions that aimed at the satisfaction not only of his personal needs but also the societal needs. This evolution in his personality provided to him general recognition and thus satisfied any personal ambitions he may have had.

The "heart" of the meeting was Thanos Diamandopoulos to whom I would like to express thanks on behalf of the EAPE for having organized a very successful seminar.

George Christodoulou
President Elect, EAPE