The charismatic teacher at Szeged: Albert Szent-Györgyi.

My good fortune brought me in contact with Albert Szent-Györgyi at the beginning of 1932 and my life became closely associated with his laboratory for fifteen years. The list of succesful scientists who spent a number of years there at time, who became well-known biochemists on their own is very impressive. Some are already lost, like Kalman Laki, Mihaly Gerendas, Jeno Ernst, Bela Gozsy, Laszlo Vargha, others are still with us, like Ilona Banga, Sandor Szalay, Joseph Svirbely, W.F.H.M. Mommaerts, Tamas Erdos, Laszlo Lorand, John Gergely. The Editor of this Journal asked my contribution to this memorial issue and I thought best to recall the impression of the youngster I was coming under the influence of a great man. There are only a few who can today recall the events of 55 years ago. I was 18 at the time, having started medical studies at Szeged University, with the intention of becoming a practitioner, to do honest work as was tradition in our family. I did not know much about the world or about science, even less about chemistry. This was all mostly obscured by a strict education at the high school level. I was encouraged to believe not do doubt things.