Sir John Cornforth interviewed by Ann Turner for the Australians of the year oral history project [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 2170078
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Cornforth, John Warcup, Sir, 1917-2013, interviewee
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research; written permission required for personal copies and public use during the lifetime of the interviewee.
- Description:
-
- 1995
- 1 digital audio tape (ca. 113 min.)
- Series:
- Australians of the year oral history project.
- Summary:
-
Cornforth speaks of his family background and his three siblings' accomplishments, growing up in Sydney, how the first signs of deafness through otosclerosis began at age 10 until permanent deafness in his early twenties and how he coped, his interest in chemistry from age 14 and entry to University of Sydney at 16, his dependency on reading at the Library as he could rarely hear the lectures, met his wife Rita at university, his skills at playing chess which remains a continuing interest, his lecturers in chemistry, his friendship with Arthur Birch, how he and Rita succeeded in 1939 in obtaining the Exhibition of 1851 Research scholarship to Oxford to work with Robert Robinson, the world's leading organic chemist, on their doctorates, how on sailing to England war broke out, awarded their doctorates in 1941 and married at the same time, how they first worked on anti-malerials due to a shortage of quninine but then engaged in work to synthesise Fleming's penicillin but solved the fermentation problem instead, first daughter Brenda born during the War, then spent 16 years at the Medical Research Council in Hampstead, his work with Robinson in the successful synthesis of sex hormones, his collaboration with George Popjak.
- Biography/History:
-
Cornforth was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1975 for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme-catalysed reactions. He was named Australian of the Year in 1975.
- Notes:
-
- Recorded on May 20, 1995 in Lewes, England.
- Digital master available National Library of Australia;
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Corrected transcript available (typescript, 19 leaves).
- Subject:
- Other authors/contributors:
- Turner, Ann, 1929-2011, interviewer
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the Australians of the year oral history project.
This collection contains 17 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
Contact us for information about copying. For access conditions return to the record display above.
- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2065 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 1995
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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