Interview, October 10, 2007

Creator:

Duke University. Medical Center. Archives.

Scope and content:

Dr. Fridovich speaks about his arrival in Duke University's Department of Biochemistry in 1952; Dr. Bernheim's reputation at the time for having discovered the amine oxidase; Dr. Bernheim's reputation for good teaching; Dr. Bernheim's reputation for writing abstracts for the publication Chemical Abstracts; the importance of Dr. Bernheim's discovery at the time; Dr. Bernheim's book, A Sky of My Own, about flying; Dr. Bernheim's interest in outdoor activities; the Bernheims housing an English child during World War II; the few women on the faculty; Dr. Bernheim's husband, Dr. Frederick Bernheim, and both of them being highly regarded scientifically; the founding chair of the department, Dr. William Perlzweig; women in the department over time; the field of biochemistry moving beyond Dr. Bernheim's discovery; Dr. Bernheim's donation of land to the Eno River Association; the physical space of the Department of Biochemistry upon his arrival; the growth of the department; Dr. Bernheim focusing more on teaching than research in her later years; Dr. Bernheim as always being called Molly, not Mary; flying as being important to Dr. Bernheim; the equipment that was used in the department in the 1950s; the equipment Dr. Bernheim might have used in her earliest years of research; Dr. Rebecca Buckley; national attention on Dr. Bernheim for her discovery; Dr. Bernheim's modesty; and the fading of that attention over the years.

The transcription of this interview was made possible by a grant from the Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation.

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