me and I was invited to come down. I did. And through that, spending two
years there at Oak Ridge, I becameinterested in radiation biology.
BERGE:
Whatkinds of things did you do while you were at Oak Ridge?
KOHN:
I worked with rats and investigated the changes in their blood
chemistry following single doses of x-rays. I understand that people
subsequently have haddifficulty in confirming ourresults.
BERGE:
Anything else you want to say about that time period?
KOHN:
WhenI arrived in 1949, there was practically no Biology
Division left, but a laboratory building of good size was being renovatedforit
a Y-10. Dr. Hollaender from the USPHSwasthe director of the division. He
spoke with a German accent and wasnot an impressive person scientifically.
However, he knew the value of money andheused his position to build up a
good lab. But as a person, he was in my opinion not to be admired. He was
amazed whenI told him that I would be transferred to San Francisco. I'm
sure he had planned to surprise me bytelling me that Dr. Jacob Furth, a
pathologist, would be taking over my quarters and I would betransferred to
the garret. Hollaender hated people with medical training. WhenI tried to
tell Furth on his arrival that he might have trouble with Hollaender, he
looked down his nose at me. But someyears later, when we met in Boston,
he remarked in a somewhatapologetic tone that I had been right..
{2.. San Francisco]
Kohn: Well I was then in the Public Health service. I wanted to have some
experience with man, so I asked for permission to visit Dr. Stone's Division