"1" Miroslav Srogl 1935 - - 1976

Miroslav Srogl was born on May 4, 1935, in Trnava near T~ebi5 in a teacher 's family. He finished his high-school (Gymnasium) education in 1953 in Rychnov n/Kn. His unusual interest in science led to further studies at the Facu l ty of Science of the Charles Universi ty in Prague where he graduated magna cure laude. His wide-ranging and profound interests in research have of necessity predestined him for a scientific career. He started working at the Inst i tute of Plant Product ion of the Czechoslovak Agricul- tural Academy, studying the biochemistry of symbiotic fixation of molecular nitrogen and participating in the application of serological methods to the investigation of the genus Rhizobium. The focus of his work, however, was at the Ins t i tu te of Microbiology of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences where, in 1964, he received the degree of Candidate of Science. He worked on taxonomical problems of the genus Bacillus and enriched the classical taxonomic criteria with new approaches of genetic analysis. He was the first in Czechoslovakia to introduce the transformation method with Bacillus subtilis. In 1965 and t966 he worked at the Centre de l 'Energie Nuel6aire in Mol in Belgium and after his return he took up the problem of the connection between the replication point of the chromosome and the cytoplasmic mem- brane from the point of view of the control of DNA synthesis in the bacterial cell. Most recently he examined the possibilities of t ransformation of plasmid characters in the bacterial cell and, to this end, he developed the method of separation and isolation of plasmid DNA.

He took par t in several symposia on bacterial genetics and published a series of papers which were well received both here and abroad. Assisting the head of depar tment of bacterial genetics he took par t in drafting the concept of the depar tment and in fostering cooperation between the aea-

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demies of Socialist countries in the given field. His self-effacing help with the education of young scientists both Czechoslovak and foreign will always be remembered. A great many research workers from various insti tutes in this country found him always responsive to their requests for information. Thus he was active in postgraduate courses for high-school teachers of biology and chemistry and in the popularization of his field among young students. He was a member of several scientific societies, his activity having been par- ticularly appreciated in the Czechoslovak Society for Microbiology where he headed the commission on microbial genetics. Outside science proper he assumed functions in the biochemical club of the Inst i tute of Microbiology, in the commission for rationalization, and in the Czechoslovak Society of Science and Technology.

Dr. ~rogl's untimely death on Janua ry 24, 1976, has deprived his fellow workers of an exceptionally kind and broad-hearted friend whose modesty, helpfulness and discretion will always be remembered.

Dr. Josef Hubd~ek