Short History of the Institute of Public Health-Iasi

On the strength of the Law of Health and Protection promulgated on the 4-th of July, 1930, during the same year it is founded, through the agency of the High Royal Order, in the old citadel of the national history and culture - Iasi city- the Institute of Hygiene and Public health, scientific establishment where, within over seven decades, worthful personalities of national and international echo in the field of preventive medicine have made themselves respected.

Institute of Iasi, that territorially covered all problems of public health from Moldova, has operated, at first, near to the Faculty of Medicine, during the period 1930-1938, under the leadership of the Professor Al. Slatineanu, titular professor at the Chair of Bacteriology of Iasi, creative mind with an immense experience who set up complex medical-sanitary initiatives of prophylactic and social nature.

In that period, the institute has directed its activity towards the study on malaria, tuberculosis, phtisis, lues, pellagra, typhus, typhoid fever and recurrent fever as well.

Close by Professor Al. Slatineanu and then Professor I. Balteanu (1939-1941), a proeminent part in developing the beginning activity of the institute has been played by Professor M.Ciuca, full professor at the Chair of Hygiene, director of "Izolarea" Hospital, future member of Academy and collaborator of the World Health Organization.

The research unit of malaria initiated by Professor M. Ciuca in close co-operation with Paludism Board within the League of Nations, represented "the pilot" of the extended actions of prevention and control of this scourge in our country, resulted in the eradication of this disease.

Also, to the initiative of Professor M.Ciuca and in close co-operation with the Department of Hygiene of the League of Nations and the Ministry of Health it has been founded a centre of research on pellagra, headed by the future professor Iuliu Nitulescu.

During the years of the Second World War, the activity of the institute led by Associate Professor I. Alexa (1942-1944) had to get through to the important problems of health, taking into consideration that Moldova has been not only the field of military operations but the drought-stricken area ,starvation and epidemies.

After a short period of time (1945-1946) when the institute has been led by Professor I.Nitulescu, the leadership was given for a long period of time (1946-1962) to Professor D.A.Cornelson.

Belonging to the newer generation of Romanian school of preventive medicine, with specialization studies in the country and abroad, it has been at Professor D. A. Cornelson charge to organise the institute in a proper building, parallel to setting up the sanitary-antiepidemic network of Moldova, network that has been back up and permanently guided by the institute as yet.

In the field of food hygiene, beginning with 1953, the year of the setting up of the Laboratoy of Food Bacteriology, concerns to determine the microbiological indicators of foods became attached to those for knowledge and diminishing of the chemical pollution of foods, for those who elaborate appropriate methodologies and techniques.

The setting up of the Department of Labour Hygiene has permitted the study of the hygiene problems and occupational medicine issues connected with industrial development and agricultural modernization in Moldova.

After 1962, the institute leadership is given for a short period of time to Professor E.Ungureanu (1962-1963) and then to Professor Gh. Zamfir (1963-1969 and 1975-1980) and to Academician V.Râscanu (1970-1974).

During these years, the scientific activity has been diversified, in close connection with coming into being of some new factors of risk –especially chemical factors- from life and work environment, to the investigation of which working together experts from laboratories of industrial medicine and environmental hygiene having various profiles: biochemistry, toxicology, haematology, morphopatology, electrophysiology, mutagenecity, teratogeneticy, cancerogenesis. These studies prove scientifically the proposals referring to maximum admitted limit and maximum admitted concentration in environmental elements and to the place of work.

In 1965, when the institute was led by Professor Gh. Zamfir, it came into being a collective body for Radiation Hygiene, having as study field medical irradiation of the population, contribution of ingestion of food products to internal contamination of the population and preofessional exposing to the radioactive noxa.

In 1969, the Institute of Hygiene and Public Health and Laboratories of the Institute for Medical Research of Iasi Branch of Romanian Academy have merged and after this date they approached new aspects of research in the field of physiology, nutrition, chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular ones.

By setting up, in 1979, of a collective body for Hygiene of Infant and Teenager, it has been carried out an older desideratum: the approach of health matters for this segment of inhabitants in order to follow the hygienic-sanitary conditions taken from colectivities of children as well as the challenges to which they are subjected to within the educational process.

Between 1980-1992, the leadership of the institute is taken by a well-known expert in this ground –Public Health- Professor V. Rugina , member of Academy of Medical Sciences since 1990.

In this period it was founded the environmental epidemiology and since 1987 there are initiated and developed populational epidemiological studies of which methodologies are continously improved and which-after 1990-of a good acknowledgement and appreciation on the part of WHO experts.

These studies are added to cares of environmental toxicology that, having a tradition in the institute, got more depth and diversified, after 1990, being supported by a rich research, modern methodologies of designing and processing, and especially, by concerns for an introduction of new precocious, sensitive and specific biomarkers.

During the period 1992-1999, the leadership of the institute is taken by the dear departed Professor R. Duda. The structure of the institute slightly balanced directly after 1990, is re-organized in 3 main departments :department of Environmental Medicine with units of Environmental Hygiene, Food Hygiene, School Hygiene and laboratories of Environmental Chemistry and Bacteriology; department of Occuppational Medicine with unit of Occupational Medicine and Laboratory of Occupational Toxicology; Department of Epidemiology with laboratories of Bacteriology, Virusology, Parasitology and a unit of Epidemiological Surveillance; to these are added the Public Health unit and a laboratory of Radiation Hygiene.

Under this structure, the institute operates, at present, under the leadership of Luminita Smaranda Iancu, PhD. MD, since 1999.

A new generation of experts have taken over and extended the area of approaches concerning preventive medicine in the territory of Moldova, knowing professional fulfilment and gratification by fitting the activity to the priority target of the National Programmes of Public Health within the Ministry of Health and Family.