The first idea to gather all microbiologists of different specialities in former Yugoslavia was given by a group of prominent Slovene microbiologists in 1957. The suggestion was realised and in the same year the Yougoslav Microbiological Society-YMS was formed. It was composed of three nearly independent national sections: the Slovene, the Croat and the Serbian one. The main aim of the Societies was to help young microbiologists of different education to broaden their knowledge and to bring scientists of different fields of microbiology together. Therefore lectures of current interest, training courses of modern methods, excursion to various institutions and industrial laboratories were organised for the members. We also visited some institutions in Italy and France in 1962, 1963 and 1967. In the YMS rules it was stated that the presidency of every mandate should change from one institution to another, each president being of a different microbiological specialisation i.e. medicine, veterinary, agronomy, technology etc. In 1961 a terminological group was formed and in 1994 the Slovene Microbiological Terminological Dictionary was issued. Two Yougoslav Microbiological Congresses were organised by the Slovene Society: in 1976 at Bled and in 1989 in Maribor. In 1990 “Mikrobilten”, the journal of the Slovene Microbiological Society started.
After the political changes in Yougoslavia, the Slovene microbiologists declared their independent Slovene Microbiological Society-SMS. It was soon accepted as member in relevant organisations such as FEMS, IUMS, EFB etc. and its activities and number of members grew steadily.
SMS participated in organising different international meetings f.i. of EFB Working parties, ECCO, UNESCO etc. It also started to publish ťSMS BookletsŤ: Growing eucariotic cells, Use of monoclonal antibodies, Louis Pasteur – 100th anniversary of his death, First forty years of SMS. Two congresses have till now been organised by SMS; in 1993 at Bled and in 1998 in Portorož, both being wary successful with many Slovene and foreign participants.
For specially successful SMS members an award named after the Slovene prominent medical microbiologist Anton Marko Plenčič was established and up to now 16 Slovene microbiologists have been awarded.
SMS is highly honoured to be one of the organisers of FEMS Congress in Ljubljana and we all wish its participants much scientific satisfaction and personal delight.
prof.dr.Aleksa Cimerman
