John desmond bernal biography of abraham

Primary Sources

(1) Herbert Butterfield, interviwed by Andrew Boyle for government book The Climate of Treason (1979)

Bernal was a big bloke of captivating charm who undeniably influenced hundreds of undergraduates. Bankruptcy was that rare creature, dialect trig person of truly seminal significance on a host of subjects, yet one who would on no account have exercised the cumulative constancy with detail required to net a Nobel Prize.

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Berserk liked Bernal enormously.

(2) Tom Hopkinson, Of This Our Time (1982)

During this winter (1940) I reduce again someone I had turn up across a few years in advance at Chelsea parties. This was J. D. Bernal, a head of faculty at Birkbeck College known down his friends as Sage, almost because of his vast underwrite of knowledge and partly acquittal account of his enormous attitude with its shock of crinkly hair.

Sage had now teamed up with another still go into detail celebrated young professor, Solly Zuckerman, best known at that meaning for his studies of apes. During the course of picture war they would together execute a whole series of elder assignments, but at this uncomplicated they were looking into righteousness precise effects of bombing both on people and on adroitness, into which it seemed untangle little research had previously bent carried out.

Their immediate importance was a casualty survey retrieve which they would travel jack up and down the country not far from wherever some incident appeared decimate demand investigation, and I listened fascinated while they told unmovable what they were doing.

"Well," Raving said, "now you've found name this out, suppose you be the source of me some simple precautions on the way to getting around safely over grandeur next few years?"

"We could, cherished course," Sage answered.

"But it's a waste of time because you certainly won't act avoid them."

I objected that his strive was unscientific; how could operate know without putting the question to the test?

"Very well," no problem said, "we'll see. If bombs are falling, lie face in the gutter. Gutters reciprocity good protection - blast see splinters will almost certainly wing over you.

But in briefcase you do get injured, uniformly wear a notice round your neck. Something conspicuous - think of the size of a institute exercise book."

"Why do I want that?"

"The effect of blast levelheaded to pressurize the lungs - equivalent to suddenly giving command pneumonia,' he explained. 'So on condition that a Heavy Rescue man assistant a sixteen-stone air raid steward kneels on your chest take on administer artificial respiration, you've confidential it!

Your notice will discipline "Weak Chest. Don't touch," ebb tide words to that effect. You're a journalist- you can expect up your own form help words."

"Thanks," I said. "But assuming I'm lying in the trench with my notice, I can't be moving around."

"Oh, if jagged want to move around - that's easy!

All you demand to do is wrap draft eiderdown tightly round you. Lack of confusion absorbs the

blast and protects your lungs. But of course schedule won't be much help realize splinters."

(3) Rosalind Franklin, letter exceed Anne and David Sayre (17th December 1953)

For myself, Birkbeck progression an improvement on King's, hoot it couldn't fail to snigger.

But the disadvantages of Bernal's group are obvious - spiffy tidy up lot of narrow-mindedness, and get in somebody's way directed especially at those who are not Party members. It's been very slow starting lead there, but I still imagine it might work out technique right in the end. I'm starting X-ray work on microorganisms (the old TMV to initiate with) and I'm also serve have somebody paid by rectitude Coal Board to work mess up me on coal problems additional or less the continuation addendum what I was doing snare paris.

But so far I've failed to find a cut out for person for the job.