Constantin Ion Parhon 449605 189217500 2008-02-05T07:52:08Z Alex:Dan 2910585 image [[Image:Constantin Parhon.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Constantin Ion Parhon]] '''Constantin Ion Parhon''' ([[October 15]], [[1874]]&mdash;[[August 9]], [[1969]]) was a [[Romania]]n neuropsychiatrist, endocrinologist and politician. He was the [[President of Romania|President of the Provisional Presidium]] of the [[Communist Romania|People's Republic of Romania]] from its proclamation on [[December 30]], [[1947]] to [[April 13]], [[1948]], and Chairman of the Presidium of the [[Great National Assembly]] of the People's Republic of Romania (head of state) from [[April 13]], [[1948]] to [[June 12]], [[1952]]. Parhon was President of the Medics' and Naturalists' Society in [[Iaşi]], hospital director, professor, and director of medical institutes. ==Biography== Born in [[Câmpulung]] to the schoolteacher Ioan Parhon and his wife Maria (née Bauer),<ref>Cioroianu, p.279</ref> he completed [[lyceum]] in [[Ploieşti]] and graduated from the [[University of Bucharest]], where he also received his [[Doctor of Medicine|MD]]. He later received a [[Honorary degree|Honorary Doctorate]] from [[Charles University in Prague|Charles University]] in [[Prague]] (1948). Parhon taught [[Neurology]] and [[Psychiatry]] at the Faculty of Medicine of the [[University of Iaşi]] (1912-1933), and, from 1933, [[Endocrinology]] at the [[Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy|Faculty of Medicine]]<!--Didn't this Faculty split from U.B. at some point, to become an independent University? But when?--> of the University of Bucharest. Parhon was the founder of the Romanian school of endocrinology. In 1909, he co-authored with [[Moise Goldstein]] the first book on endocrinology, ''Secreţiile Interne'' ("Internal Secretions"). Later on, he published a ''Handbook of Endocrinology'', co-written with M. Goldstein and [[Ştefan-Marius Milcu]] (3 volumes, 1945-1949). Parhon published over 400 titles, and was known for his encyclopaedic knowledge. Besides the afore-mentioned works, some of his other well-known works are ''Old Age and Its Treatment'' (1948), ''The Age Biology'' (1955), and ''Selected Works'' (5 volumes, 1954-1962). As a [[Socialism|socialist]] militant who, according to his own testimony, was influenced by the works of [[Karl Marx]] in his teens,<ref>Cioroianu</ref> Parhon was one of the founders of a Laborer Party (''Partidul Muncitor''), a short-lived group that fused into the [[left-wing]] [[Peasants' Party (Romania)|Peasants' Party]] in 1919.<ref>Niculae ''et al.'', p.9</ref> A short while after the fusion, Parhon split with the group and became politically inclined toward the [[Communist Party of Romania]]. He allegedly protested against Romania's participation in [[World War II]] on the [[Axis Powers|Axis]] side (''see [[Romania during World War II]]''), but, according to some sources, he was also a representative in Romania for the [[Nazi Germany|Reich]]-based [[Chemical industry|chemical]] and [[pharmaceutical company]] [[Merck KGaA|Merck Darmstadt]].<ref>Cioroianu, p.280</ref> In November 1944, after the [[King Michael Coup|August 23 Coup]] that brought peace between Romania and the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], he became President of the [[Romanian Society for Friendship with the Soviet Union|Romanian Association for Strengthening the Ties with the Soviet Union]] (which had been founded at his villa in [[Sinaia]]).<ref>Cioroianu, p.280</ref> He was a [[Chamber of Deputies of Romania|deputy]] in [[Parliament of Romania|Parliament]] (known as the Assembly of Deputies) and the [[Great National Assembly]] between 1946 and 1961. After the forced abdication of [[King of Romania|King]] [[Michael I of Romania|Michael I]] on [[December 30]], [[1947]], the Deputies' Assembly adopted Law No. 363, through which Romania became a [[People's Republic]] and the [[1923 Constitution of Romania|1923 Constitution]] was repealed. The same law provided for a [[Presidium]] composed of five members (elected by the Deputies' Assembly) to exercise the executive powers in the state; alongside Parhon, its members were [[Mihail Sadoveanu]], [[Ştefan Voitec]], [[Gheorghe Stere]], and [[Ion Niculi]]. Shortly afterwards, Parhon became the Chairman of the Presidium, thus occupying the most important office in the state. On [[April 13]], [[1948]], the Parliament adopted a new Constitution, which borrowed heavily from the [[1936 Soviet Constitution|Soviet model of 1936]]<ref>Cioroianu, p.103</ref> and entrusted the supreme powers to the Great National Assembly - which in turn elected a Presidium, composed of a president, three vice-presidents, a secretary and 14 members. The same day, Parhon was elected as President of the Presidium, though the real power in the state was exercised by the Communist Party. Parhon was a member and president of the [[Romanian Academy]] and other scientific societies. He was awarded the title of ''Hero of Socialist Labor'' and received the State Prize. He liked to be referred to as a "citizen-scientist". He resigned from political office in June 1952, dedicating the rest of his life to scientific research. He was buried in the round hall of ''The Monument of the Heroes for the Freedom of the People and of the Motherland, for Socialism'' in [[Bucharest]]'s [[Carol Park]]. In the aftermath of the [[Romanian Revolution of 1989]], his remains were exhumed in 1991, and interred in another cemetery.<!--the graves were all emptied after the Revolution; where is he now?--> ==Notes== <div class="references-small"> <references/> </div> ==References== *[[Adrian Cioroianu]], ''Pe umerii lui Marx. O introducere în istoria comunismului românesc'' ("On the Shoulders of Marx. An Incursion into the History of Romanian Communism"), [[Editura Curtea Veche]], Bucharest, 2005 *Vasile Niculae, Ion Ilincioiu, Stelian Neagoe, ''Doctrina ţărănistă în România. Antologie de texte'' ("Peasant doctrine in Romania. Collected Texts"), Editura Noua Alternativă, Social Theory Institute of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest, 1994 {{Presidents of Romania}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Parhon, Constantin Ioan}} [[Category:1874 births]] [[Category:1969 deaths]] [[Category:People from Argeş County]] [[Category:Romanian Academy]] [[Category:Romanian physicians]] [[Category:Romanian scientists]] [[Category:Romanian socialists]] [[Category:University of Bucharest alumni]] [[Category:University of Bucharest faculty]] [[Category:University of Iaşi faculty]] [[de:Constantin Ion Parhon]] [[fr:Constantin Ion Parhon]] [[he:קונסטנטין יון פארחון]] [[pl:Constantin Parhon]] [[ro:Constantin Ion Parhon]] [[ru:Пархон, Константин]]