symposia in the medical sciences took place in 1995 under the auspices of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences. One of them, organized in cooperation with the Medical Research Center of the Jagiellonian University and the Polish Physiological Association, dealt with the centennial of the discovery of adrenaline, which was made simultaneously by Polish and English researchers. The second symposium dealt with the problem of the role of infection by Helicobacter pylori in inflammations of the mucous membranes of the stomach. In this area a crucial role has been played by the research of Stanisław Konturek and Jerzy Stachura, members of our Academy who are also affiliated with the Polish Academy of Sciences. Within the Medical section there is the PAU Commission on Medical Ethics. The members of the section also take part in the work of the PAU Commission on Threats to Civilization. On the initiative and on behalf of the section, the Tadeusz Browicz Prize has been awarded since 1999 to recognize outstanding achievements in the field of medicine and pharmacology. Until recently the Prize was funded by the Pliva pharmaceutical company. The English Language School of Medicine at the Jagiellonian University's Collegium Medicum, previously the second sponsor, was the sole sponsor in 2001. The Tadeusz Browicz Prize is formally awarded to the winners at the June meeting of the PAU's General Assembly. Artistic Creativity This section was founded in 1994, after the PAU's charter was amended to allow for its creation. The goal of the new Section was to include persons from the world of art among the members of the Academy, outstanding creators whose careers have made a significant contribution to the development of culture. The areas of artistic creativity represented in the section include literature, music, architecture, painting, sculpture, theater, and film. The section's activities were inaugurated by two lectures, one delivered by Jerzy Nowosielski, "The Growth of Consciousness in Time: Truth or Illusion?" and the other by Jan Józef Szczepański, "The Concept of Morality in Literature". The speakers at the section's meetings in recent years have also included Andrzej Wajda, Witold Cęckiewicz, Jerzy Jarocki, Stanisław Lem, , and Bronisław Chromy. Independent Interdisciplinary Commissions Anthropological Commission of the PAU Commission on Threats to Civilization This Commission is interdisciplinary in character, and is composed of members of different PAU classes, from the History and Philosophy sections to the Creative Arts section. Threats to the harmonious