INAUGURAL SESSION 



OPENING SPEECH 



delivered by Academician IVAN MÄLEK, Chairman of the Biological-Medical Section 

 of the Czech. Acad, of Sciences, Director of the Biological Institute, Praha. 



On behalf of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and the biological- 

 medical section I welcome this Symposium dedicated to the ontogenetic 

 development of insects. At the same time, allow me, please, to welcome aU 

 of you Avho are participating in the Symposium, in the first place our esteemed 

 foreign guests. 



There are two reasons why I feel especially honoured to greet this Sympo- 

 sium: first, because its subject seems to be very significant not only from the 

 theoretical point of view — it will try to answer a question of general bio- 

 logical interest, but also because the problems to be dealt лvith are of wide 

 practical importance as it has already been shown in many instances of in- 

 sect population control, either to protect or to fight against them. 



The other reason is that such a great number of the most renowned specia- 

 lists have come to compare the results of their work. This alone is a guarantee 

 that the problems will be profoundly and seriously discussed to the benefit 

 of the work of all participants as well as development of research in this 

 branch and science in general. 



These features characterize the symposium as one of those organized 

 in these 2 — 3 years by the biological-medical section of the Academy, e. g. 

 symposium on the continuous cultivation of microorganisms, symposium 

 on antibiotics etc. The subjects of these symposia were chosen in order to 

 establish a theoretical basis for problems which appear to be of key-importance 

 to us and at the same time to show how the theoretical principles would be 

 apphed in practice to ensure a better life of men on the earth. 



All these symposia were attended by more than 500 outstanding scientists 

 from various countries and were the initiative for a close collaboration and 

 scientific friendships which can be considered one of the principal features 

 and necessities of the modern science. The remarkable participation in this 

 symposium assures, that this congress, too, will be successful and fulfil all the 

 noble aims л\^е have met for. That it, too, will be an initiation of further 

 scientific friendships and collaboration, regardless of country and conditions 

 in which the research is done. 



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