Hay In a tribute to the late Alexander Stephen Hay (PJ, November 13, p780), Mr C. V. HAMMOND writes: While still a pharmacy student, Alex Hay joined the 153 Field Ambulance, Territorial Army, in late 1938 after the Munich crisis. Such training as he was given was within the unit. On July 1, 1939, his unit was mobilised and transferred to Aldershot later in the month. In January, 1940, he went with it over to France, first to Caudebec-en-Caux and later to Lillers.
While at Lillers, he acquired an infection in his leg which developed into a severe cellulitis. He was hospitalised and sent to the hospital base at Dieppe, and in March or April, 1940, was transferred to an EMS at Botleys Park, Chertsey. After leaving hospital a month later, Alex returned to the Royal Army Medical Corps depot at Crookham, Hampshire, where, after a few days, he was transferred to Army Reserve and sent home to complete his pharmacy training.
After qualifying in 1943, he was recalled to the army in October, 1943, sent on six weeks' basic training at the Green Howards depot, Richmond, and then underwent a laboratory assistant's course at the Cambridge hospital, Aldershot. In June, 1944, he sailed to Italy, where he joined No 1 Central Pathology Laboratory, Rome. A year later, in October, 1944, Alex was posted to No 10 Command depot medical stores as a corporal and later as a sergeant, staff sergeant and finally a warrant officer II, remaining at No 10 CDMS until it closed down in October, 1946.
The war was over, but Alex's military service was not over, since he then went to returned medical stores at Mestre, until January, 1947, when he was demobilised.
He made very light of what had been a long and demanding wartime service. The following quote from a letter that he wrote to me in December, 1993, may illustrate this: "As regards training with 153 Field Ambulance, this was rudimentary and was based on 1918 trench warfare."
Alex was one of a number of colleagues who volunteered for service when war seemed inevitable and who did a worthwhile job, often in a purely scientific way vaguely related to pharmacy.
Hobbs In a tribute to the late Russell John Hobbs (PJ, December 4, p895), Mr VINCENT MEADOWS writes: It was with sadness that I read of the death of Russell Hobbs. He taught me when the school of pharmacy was in Unity Street, Bristol, and was indeed a lecturer who was sure to be remembered by his students.
He did appear stern but he had a sense of fun, although one had to be careful not to push things too far. On one memorable April 1, a series of jokes during one of his lectures resulted in him dismissing most of those present. He had his revenge by including a question on the subject of that lecture in the end of term question paper. But he never bore a grudge, and I have a picture of him and Joe Shellard convulsed in laughter at the antics of the same students at a social some time later. That is how I like to remember him.
Kohlberg On November 20, Joshua Kohlberg, HonMRPharmS, of, 68 Achad Haam Street, Tel Aviv, Israel, aged 94 years. Dr Kohlberg was elected to honorary membership of the Society in 1972.
Mr HOWARD L. RICE (chairman, Pharmaceutical Assocation of Israel Central Committee) writes: Dr Kohlberg was born in Poland in 1905. He read chemistry in Austria, where he was active in raising funds to help poor students in Vienna. He was awarded his PhD in 1929 and thereafter became active in cancer research in the Children's and Lienz hospitals in Vienna. He furthered his education by completing a pharmacy degree in 1932 and returned to his native Poland, where he took over a pharmacy, medical and chemical laboratory in Upper Silesia.
While in Switzerland in 1939, he found it impossible to return home because of the 1939-45 war and so he made his way to Palestine, penniless.
In 1941, he acquired a pharmacy in Tel Aviv, created a pharmacist-owned wholesale department and during the years 1946 to 1956 he was chairman of the Pharmaceutical Association of Israel. The year 1947 saw the association brought into the family of the International Pharmaceutical Federation and Dr Kohlberg sat on FIP for many years as the association's representative.
In 1946 he travelled to the United States to find investors for opening a pharmaceutical plant in Israel. Through hard work and well planned strategy he succeeded in stabilising the pharmaceutical profession in the early years of the state of Israel. In 1956, he was made honorary president of the Pharmaceutical Association of Israel.
He traveled extensively to raise funds for the school of pharmacy in Jerusalem, and his big dream came true in 1972 when the new school was inaugurated on the medical campus of the Hadassah hospital.
In the 1960s he founded Economic Enterprises of Pharmacists in Israel, a company that absorbed small companies into large enterprises, and set the format for the large pharmaceutical companies of Israel today.
In 1972 he was elected an honorary member of both the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and the French Academie de Pharmacie.
In 1996, he was awarded honorary membership of the International Pharmaceutical Federation. He was a founder member of the Clinical Pharmacy Society of Israel. He had held posts as a chairman of the pharmaceutical committee of the Ministry of Health, was a member of the Council of Health, was on the board of governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was a director of the Teva Pharmaceutical Group.
To me personally, despite the 40-year difference in our ages, he was a teacher, a mentor and a guide. He has left us the legacy of a strong, respected profession, imbued with his firm belief that "unity protects the present; continuing education preserves the future". I have lost a close and dear friend. Pharmacy has lost a rare and priceless peer and the world a wise man.
He is survived by his wife Irma (also a pharmacist), two sons (both university professors) and grandchildren, to whom we offer our deep condolences. May his dear soul rest in peace.