Survey of attitudes and knowledge about science in medical students in southeast Europe.

lingua franca (English), and scientific and individual traditions. Biotechnology requires money, which was and remains scarce in transitional countries. The succession of Roman, Byzantine, French, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian cultural traditions in these countries also had negative consequences, particularly on free development and autonomy of education and science. In addition, communism, which combined a scientific view of the world with monolithic coercive power and strict social control, helped create intolerance to scientific creativity. Meanwhile, the dominance of the science-centred West, particularly after the second world war, stimulated cultural change of profound importance. Scientists who emerged in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom were regarded as having a public mission and a legitimate claim to political influence. They participated in creating “knowledge societies,” in which expert-run systems are incorporated into all parts of social life. To address this North-South, West-East divide, I suggest that both sides work hard: teach English to improve scientific communication, explore funding possibilities that the European Union might provide, provide computer technology, encourage young people (who have proved their interest in science) to apply for scholarships and gain experience in the developed world. It worked for Western Europe after the second world war, and it should work for transitional countries today. The role of power in the social structure of science clearly has had an effect on its distribution worldwide. Perhaps the time has come not only to declare obvious research inequalities but to rethink our strategies and use power to bridge the gaps.