Tragic News

On June 14 we received a letter from Mrs. Christine Mouret. It said her husband has got lung cancer and might not survive this coming autumn. We were stunned and saddened. Dr. Mouret passed on only six days later, with his family at his bedside.

It is our great honor and fond memory that we could confer Honda Prize and share the joy with Dr. Mouret eight months ago. He found a strong affinity with Soichiro Honda’s way of thinking, “We need to have technology humble, humane, and caring about nature and all living things including mankind,” as he worked in his belief that a surgeon must first and foremost respect natural workings inside an ecologic system called human body. This philosophical resonance may have come out when he told us, “I’m a member of the Honda family, too.” We can still recall those moments Mr. and Mrs. Mouret were enjoying autumn in Kyoto as if it were yesterday.

We heard Dr. Mouret revisited Japan afterwards despite his illness, as part of his vigorous effort over the years to spread the logic and technique of laparoscopy throughout the world. There is no doubt more patients will suffer less pain as minimally aggressive laparoscopic surgery is put to wider use.

Every time the memory of his friendly smile comes back, we are overwhelmed. May his beautiful soul rest in eternal peace. We wholeheartedly wish his family earliest possible recovery from their deep sorrow.

Hiromori Kawashima
President, Honda Foundation