Conrad Gorinsky (March 7, 1936—August 18, 2019) was a

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

-born

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

who studied in the UK. The son of Cesar Gorinsky, a Polish cattle rancher and gold prospector, and Nellie Melville, a half-Atorad tribeswoman. He spent months with the Amazonian

Wapishana The Wapishana or Wapichan (or Wapisiana, Wapitxana, Vapidiana, Wapixana) are an indigenous group found in the Roraima area of northern Brazil and southern Guyana. Location Currently the Wapishana are located in the State of Roraima, Brazil, nort ...

tribe and later obtained

US patent Under United States law, a patent is a right granted to the inventor of a (1) process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, (2) that is new, useful, and non-obvious. A patent is the right to exclude others, for a limited ...

s for tipir and cunani, two chemicals derived from plants used by the tribe. In 1968 he travelled on a BBC-funded expedition in the Amazon with the explorer

Robin Hanbury-Tenison Airling Robin Hanbury-Tenison (born 7 May 1936) is an explorer based in Cornwall. He is President of the charity Survival International and was previously Chief Executive of The Countryside Alliance. Early life and education The youngest of fiv ...

, having a discussion with him that led to the foundation of

Survival International Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969, a London based charity that campaigns for the rights of indigenous and/or tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples. The organisation's campaigns generally focus on tribal peopl ...

Patent controversy

Rupununine

Gorinsky patented tipir as ''rupununine'' (after the nearby

Rupununi river The Rupununi is a region in the south-west of Guyana, bordering the Brazilian Amazon. The Rupununi river, also known by the local indigenous peoples as ''Raponani'', flows through the Rupununi region. The name Rupununi originates from the word '' ...

), which is an

antipyretic An antipyretic (, from ''anti-'' 'against' and ' 'feverish') is a substance that reduces fever. Antipyretics cause the hypothalamus to override a prostaglandin-induced increase in temperature. The body then works to lower the temperature, which r ...

derived from the Greenheart tree. His patent claims it may be used to treat

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. The

tribe grind this nut and use it to stop bleeding and as an abortifacient which provokes miscarriage. They wanted the patent rescinded, but Gorinsky replied:

"Tough, isn't it?", he says. "I was not the only person looking at the greenheart. I just picked up a nut and said 'what can I do with this?'. I have analysed the chemical structure but I have not patented the tree or a life process. How can I tell the Wapishana about the science? They just inherited the greenheart. They don't own it. I have invested in this with my own money".

Cunaniol

Gorinsky was one of several who isolated a potent chemical from certain plants that the tribe used for fishing. The natives called the plant ''cunani'', after which Gorinsky called the chemical "cuaniol". Affected by this potent neurotoxin, fish in the surrounding area become disoriented and can easily be caught. Gorinsky patented the use of cunaniol for the treatment of heart disease. The chemical is also known as ichthyothereol.

Controversy

The 1992

Convention on Biological Diversity The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of its ...

, as part of its aim of protecting the knowledge of forest tribes from exploitation, nationalised plant resources and forbid individuals from patenting organic compounds from them. Tribespeople accused him of committing

biopiracy Biopiracy (also known as scientific colonialism) is defined as the unauthorized appropriation of knowledge and genetic resources of farming and indigenous communities by individuals or institutions seeking exclusive monopoly control through patent ...

by stealing their secrets.

Footnotes

External links

Indigenous Community Bans TNC ResearchersRaiders of Forest Cures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorinsky, Conrad 1936 births 2019 deaths Guyanese chemists Commercialization of traditional medicines