Members at our 2007 BBQ

Cardiff
Naturalists' Society


Cymdeithas Naturiaethwyr
Caerdydd

 

 

Dr. Werner K. Bernfeld M.R.C.S., L.R.CP., M.D. (Lpz.) (?-197?) 91st President


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Sadly we do not have an obituary of him, but from his lectures to the Society it is clear that Werner Bernfeld had a great interest in the middle East. Amongst other things he did for the Society, he lectured to the parent Society and to the Junior section on Masada and to the parent Society on Israel.

He involved himself in a number of Society activities from the 1950's and as a medical doctor he gave a presentation on "The physique of Neolithic man" which was published in the Transactions in 1964

In my researches I have come across a religious reason for his interest in the places he lectured upon with these 2 excerpts from relevant publications: -

From Jewish Chronicle, 22 August 1958: -

Dr W. K. Bernfeld of Whitchurch, Cardiff, has won, for 2nd year in succession, the solo flute competition at the Ebbw Vale Eisteddfod. He is attached to the Graig Hospital, Pontypridd and the East Glamorgan Hospital, Church Village. He is a German Jew, greatly interested in Welsh History. This year, with essays on early Christian monuments in Wales, and the Roman frontiers in Wales, he shared the D. E. Evans Annual Essay Prize, awarded by the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire.

AJR Information (Association Of Jewish Refugees In Great Britain) Volume XXII No. 8 August, 1967 : -

B.M.A. Award For Ex-Refugee Dr. Werner K. Bernfeld, a consultant in Cardiff, was awarded a prize for a dissertation on " Medical Professional Secrecy with special reference to venereal disease". The award was bestowed on him at a special ceremony at Bristol University by the president of the British Medical Association, Mr. Robert Cooke. Dr. Bernfeld came to this country as a refugee from Germany and has been a member of the AJR for many years.

As it is noted that he was a jewish refugee from Germany one can only wonder what his early life was like during those years before he came to Wales.

His area of medical speciality was in the area of Sexually transmitted disease as noted above and he published many learned papers on topics related to this including: -

  1. How Infectious Is Gonorrhoea ? The Lancet, Vol. 300, No. 7782, p884-885 Published: October 21, 1972
  2. The Control Of Venereal Disease The Lancet, Vol. 289, No. 7484, p280 Published: February 04, 1967
  3. Medical professional secrecy with special reference to venereal diseases. British Journal of Venereal Diseases (43) 53-9 1967.
  4. Medical Secrecy. The Cambrian Law review, 15, 11-26, 1972

The latter of those publications also contains a reference to his membership of the society, AJR Information (Association Of Jewish Refugees In Great Britain) Vol. XVIII No. 4 April, 1963 : -

Reception By Cardiff Mayor Dr, W, K, Bernfeld, Honorary General Secretary of the Cardiff Naturalists' Society, was one of the Society's Hon. Officers who attended a reception by the Lord Mayor of Cardiff. Dr. Bernfeld is a member of the AJR.

He resigned as Secretary of the Society in 1973, and in 1978 in the report covering 1974-75 it was noted that "The Dr. Bernfeld Memorial Fund. This fund has topped the figure of £110 and Council is considering the best application of the money for the benefit of the Junior Section which was so close to Dr. Bernfeld's heart."



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Before this... Michael Frederick Claridge F.L.S., F.R.E.S, F.R.S.B 90th President

Next up... Elizabeth Harriet (Hettie) Edwards F.L.A. (?-1991) 92nd President

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