Quick Facts
Biography
Carl Gustaf Bernhard (28 April 1910, Jakob parish, Stockholm Municipality – 13 January 2001, Lidingö parish) was a Swedish physician, neurophysiologist and academic.He was married all his life to Gurli Lemon-Bernhard, operasinger and soprano. Together they had four children: Carl Johan, Pontus, Per and Blenda.
Early life
He contracted tuberculosis as a youth. After years of treatment, he recovered. This experience led him to want to become a doctor.
He was awarded a Ph.D. in 1940 as a result of his dissertation on vision neurophysiology.
Career
He was a professor at the Karolinska Institute from 1948 through 1971.
In 1968, he was made a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Academy during the years 1973 through 1981. In this period, he developed a special interest in one of his predecessors -- Jons Jacob Berzelius. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1976.
Bernhard founded the Berzelius Society and published two books on Berzelius:
- 1985 – Med Berzelius bland franska snillen och slocknade vulkaner
- 1993 – Berzelius Europaresenären - bland forskare, prostar och poeter
- "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter B" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 24 June 2011.