15 - 17 September 1972

Paris, France

DAYS

HOURS

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SECONDS

ICS 1972

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ICS 1972

Convenor: Pierre Aboulker

Scientific committee: Aboulker, Adjiman, Glen

The Paris meeting was the first one organised as the ICS, as the Exeter meeting was a meeting of “The Continent Club”.

Prof Pierre Aboulker, was a holder of the Legion d’honneur, and an entertaining remarkable man. He attended the first meeting in Exeter and hosted the second in Paris. As described elsewhere, he teased Eric about the British love of club ties. Eric replied that first we would need a club, and this thought triggered the formation of the Continent Club. Aboulker agreed to host the 2nd meeting in Paris in 1972, now under the title of the International Continence Society. Eric recalls that “During one planning meeting with him, he invited me to have lunch with his family in his home, a singular honour. He took great delight in driving me there in his daughter’s Mini. Weaving at speed through heavy traffic around the Place de la Concorde was quite an experience!

Although his English was good, he took lessons in colloquial English in preparation for the meeting. The hospitality will long be remembered and embellished by participants. Derek Griffiths recalled the Special conference lunch hosted by Pierre Aboulker whom we all followed like the pied piper on foot through the streets of Paris to the refectory of a convent. Eric Glen noted: “It was elaborate, with copious wines, and extended over a much longer time than had been allowed for, so that the first session after lunch had to be cancelled. But the atmosphere became so relaxed that there were no objections! However the Society pulled itself together, and exerted more discipline after that.”

There was a Seine river cruise with the Bateaux-mouches.
Eric continued: “The final dinner/entertainment was held in the Eiffel Tower and was to the highest standard one would expect in Paris. Entertainment was provided, and included some audience participation during which Brantley Scott’s vocal imitation of a trumpet solo was given much applause.”

During one of the evenings to further their education some of the more junior delegates attended the Folies Bégère, while other more cultured members like Alan Brown went to an opera at the Comedie Francaise to see a production of Cyrano de Bergerac--in French!

Another memory was of Jacques Susset who became very animated in discussion of Norman Zinner’s paper on drop spectrometry, moving from English to his native tongue of French as he became enthusiastic. When he was reminded that English was the official language he changed for a sentence or two before reverting to French in which he could express himself more passionately. Fellow French speaker and chairman, Prof. Aboulker put a stop to this "transgression".

28/03/2024 11:38:57  1799
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