My first job as a veterinarian, and my graduate studies at Davis, UCD.
1 .- My first job in the field of veterinary medicine 
It was hard to "plug" in the laboratory diagnosis of FMD, Department of Microbiology at the Bacteriological Institute of Public Health Institute now. Do not know how to use a centrifuge. Do not know what they were viral titers or antibody. I did not know to work with logarithms. But I learned to pure blunders. I even learned to make balloon pipettes Pasteur pipette with a simple and good Bunsen burner. The red Tapia, a good employee of the lab, taught me to bleed into the heart in guinea pigs, and the marginal vein in rabbits. The boy Reyes taught me something of the life of employees to reach every Monday with his face bruised and eyes in ink, purple into reality. The guy who was really tiny, was a fighter and he drew the crest and a half rosquero. Every week I borrowed $ 10 that I never returned and one day I could not pay and was angry with me for ever, so simple ...
I entered public service in Category 5 with a miserable salary. Paid only 6 hours a day. But my boss asked us to work 8 hours or more on principle and not for the money. A whole school! By chance one day when going to the national stadium to watch football, I met a classmate, Fernando Varas, who worked in the NHS in grade 7, ie good grades up through the ranks, was surprised by my contract, and gave me yours to claim in the Institute. I did it to the annoyance of my colleagues, including Dr. Eduardo Fuenzalida L., were not welcome a freshman to do so in a higher category. But it was law of the Republic. We went to the Comptroller with Sonia Vasquez, which then marry a colleague, there we attended a big bureaucrat who refused me entry status of veterinarians in grade 7, I showed him the contract pelao Varas, and refused to budge. The Institute sent a new contract appropriate to the current law, which was rejected three times. In fact, I lost half pay for 6 months, on top I went to take my direct boss Dr. Edith Aguilera, who appears to not look at me so kindly ...
In 1976 I attended a course on modified live virus, with fever disease that dictated the Pan American Foot-and through the OAS. It was quite an experience to meet so many colleagues aftosólogos South America. I wore with my little experience on which to broadcast extracts from FMDV agar gel, was obtained 4 lines of precipitation in the points on which contact the viral antigens with specific antibodies, antigen correpondían lines major and minor virus the third line seem to correspond to viral material degradation, and the fourth line, no one knew it was not by proxy. For this reason Dr. Nora would not try to publish the odd job. But Brown and Crick months after the disease at Pirbright Laboratory, UK, discovered that corresponded to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. It would not be the only time that a head prevent me from publishing a small discovery, which for me was very important ...
Tempted by the possibility of studying in the U.S. Virology Veterinary went to the "U". Plucked from the flames to fall into the coals, that simple. At that time the University and I think the country was beginning to stir, politically convulsing ...
2 .- My first years in college before going to USA to study virology.
The first day I went to work, the two candidates approached me for something, I forget what, and they raised me a really special, you both said I would vote for him ...
My contract was as assistant to 2 °, as it should be, although I later learned that others had come as helpers 1 °. I have more wedges ... But my problem was that being assistant Microbiology, Dean Rodriguez in a change of course, led me to the chair of Infectious with his friend Emily R. Armijo man of noble ancestry microbiological had their hands on the discovery of penicillin but was won by the famous A. Flemming, which deeply embittered him, and I did pay me. It bothered me a lot, but recognize that as Nora taught me hard lock, Armijo taught me to think, leaving no be. I worked with him on avian mycoplasmas, and a colleague in mycoplasmas of cattle. With Nelson Cruz M. Mycoplasmas isolated from the semen of bulls looking for a possible link to infertility, as opposed Armijo simple to find work, I resumed the Chair of Microbiology with Carlos Flores Gaston Iron and Joy R. It should be noted that he was gone from the Dean's office Dr. Rodriguez.
With Maria Luisa Sanchez and Nelson Cruz Ch we earn an internal project to work on mycoplasmas of cattle. It was a lot of money, but enough to do something in mycoplasmosis. In fact we published three papers in Chile, with two conference presentations. All an achievement for those emerging researchers.
Back then I had the privilege of teaching the mycoplasma culture techniques to people in the area of \u200b\u200bmedicine of San Juan de Dios, medical microbiology of the "U", and Dr. Zenteno of the Catholic. Sometimes I met people from these groups, and they said something nice about my delivery of knowledge without reservation or pecuniary interests. Incidentally first isolated in Chile a mycoplasma hominis from the urethra of a chronic patient. Paper presented at the Society of Microbiology in Chile in 1970.
back to grades, I was able to apply for assistant 1, contest won by Weighted 1 point. But, I got pay to lose some economic benefits aides had 2 °. Claim until I got stitches. Was studying English to meet the language requirement that put the University of California for awarding graduate fellowships. And these studies were costing his good weights. One day I called the manager of these things at the School of Veterinary Medicine, and asked how much he wanted to recover the losses, I threw myself at 12%, which was accepted under the backpack was left until the military government university finances reorganized.
Ah! The scholarship was almost lost when Dr. Rodriguez was ordered to give me English test within a week, to which I refused, reminding that the compromise was to render it at the end of the year. And therefore not gave up and left out. To tell them that for months was another fellow with no English to study laboratory animals at Davis California.
With the change of Dean, now was Dr. Oscar Valenzuela Saavedra, opened the possibilities to go to USA, even as two scholarships for Virology. One day I called for an interview, Dr. Cripe of the Chile-California who asked me about what sports to which religion had, among other things, but nothing about politics. I was independent ... It seems Allende that the most influential was that I had a couple of published works. So far, so good to go to USA only needed English. I passed the exam Vocabulario Penitas, then the TOEFL. It was worse for the English and always drew a little more than the minimum. In the end I went to study in USA in 1970.
But first I must not drop it, the intelligentsia of the school came up to ask for a review of statistics and biochemistry as a requirement for the Faculty would pass. I refused. And I argued that some of those who had gone to Germany had asked German and mathematics, so I would rather lose the scholarship opportunity, the truth is he was almost certain that with these bunches was easy to miss some and not others. Finally took no extra consideration, obviously manipulative.
Once my dear Professor Carlos Flores asked me to replace him at a faculty meeting, to which I agreed willingly and proudly, but did not know what I was getting into. Right students were judging the genetics Dr. Tapia, a man of ideas left, right left, and he snapped injuries of all kinds to my amazement I saw Dr. Tapia suck a little until he went to the trouble, and little by little I was refuting the charges to students until they tied. After I thanked him for having Dr. Flores the shots taken with me and not go to that meeting he was Bravissimo. Dr. Flores
always considered and accepted me as I was, I said I was Berriista Zapatistas, the Independent Republic of Patricio Berrios. I also thank Oscar Valenzuela for accepting me and helped without being of its ideology. This was my independent nature that I remember ever voted for a leftist candidate and a candidate in an election right university, was anomalous as a vote, much discussed, but I knew I was the perpetrator ...
conclude with my practical step by veterinary microbiology in 1969, and with great empathy with students, who were tired of conflict. I passed them to Gram + Rojelia of the time, and Gram - the most odds, but they do not put up with that go up above the piano. So if you do not!
3 .- My studies of virology at the University of California at Davis Campus Master
For my areas were: Virology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases. For the Ph.D.: Virology, Immunology and Epidemiology
the late '70s, I traveled to California in Los Angeles Aero Peru. From there to Sacramento in an old airplane, where I met Dr. Delbert Mc Kercher who was my guiding teacher for 3 years 10 months. At first I could hardly make myself understood in my bad English but was able to understand ...
Unfortunately in March 1970 my mother died, somewhat suddenly, which caused us great grief to Berrios Etchegaray. My mom was not enough to know he was going to study in USA and obviously did not meet his grandson, Gonzalo. Such is life ... Y. .. and will be 40 years ...
Between 1971 and 1974 many things happened, my son was born, 71 Gonzalo at Woodland Hospital, 73 came the military coup in Chile. 72 got the Master's Degree and Ph.D. December 74, the latter in the absence to be back in Chile, a demand made by the new authorities of my school ... In my doctoral thesis published three papers on herpes goat, although I lost everything I had done for a study with immunofluorescence; here said they had long been in the U.S. and therefore should return immediately for the entire year 75 bored with nothing to do!
A stressful event was Gonzalo operation to separate a cranial bone poorly consolidated. It was fine, just with an ugly wound on the scalp ... Dr. Holland who operated on him, was very correct, but one day reading a newspaper in Sacramento, who was accused of performing operations only silver ... Who knows?
My first hit was the English exam took the college to all new students. Lucky because I was totally fed up writing. As bad for the days I studied English before the test, and chose the materials of the U.S. last year. Me tinca was good because that's what I asked. I was lucky because gringuita understanding that read, Ms. Schwabe, wife of Dr Schwabe who had been in Chile, as well acute spoke what suits my ear, and the topic was about the action of fluorine on teeth that I knew well. Finally, in the multiple-choice questions, I managed fully to use reasoning to questions very well done to lose one, ie, a question was about who spoke for peace in Berlin, whether Russian or American soldier. All the American put without thinking, not me. All other questions were of the same tenor. Result: I was the only in passing with 98%, and so I did not take the English course that I have done so well, but instead I left with four courses, only took two and got two a and two b, something like two 6 and two sevens here. From that moment I make things easier, and almost 1 year had met the requirements of the Master. My teachers advised me to continue taking credits thinking about a possible doctorate in virology, and I did!
The truth is that I was a good student in USA, with good performance. Gringos the teachers said I was the best among the Chilean and Latin, which was not true. There were more intelligent than me, but imprsionaron elos is my commitment to take courses and work in the laboratory. Obviously he could not miss the opportunity to have everything on hand ...
I was very appealing to the U.S. university education system, everything was on wheels, no one could fail or be less than b out in classes. Schedules and programs are fulfilled to the letter. There I learned to study the materials before the class so much favored understanding. As the tests were difficult but very good, even days before you hit the wall evidence of the last 3 years. I could not believe it but that was all and most important was the style of the teacher's questions. Another thing, in the test rooms had not caring teachers, and students are not copied. Anyway, in every classroom had a mailbox called "honorary council" in which students could accuse who inflict the regulations, that is copied. Question of competition to be better than others, and ability to learn, in fact the undergraduate and graduate students were of note 6 and 7. It should be noted that veterinary students were equal or better that medicine!
The teachers were all first, knew what they were talking ... were also very understanding and correct, except Y. Zee virologist who in Virology Practice course only two b put me and a Hindu, the Hindu turban and all upper caste blue turban, she complained and went, I did and was the only b graduate course ... the fact that the note was not for me but for Dr. Mc Kercher whom were competitive rivals, with Zee and more to the young in their field. I was lucky to take the course of virology with Zee and practice with Mc Kercher, or cleverly combines theory with practice! Fate helped me again, Zee was in Australia when I gave my doctoral examination. Fortunately, because the Chinese were heavy, it was said that evil had taken his son's American professor of pure heavy and thought it was ...
student campus, Davis, was a cup of milk, with about 30,000 students, police and firefighters themselves. I remember a friend back Chilean chemical and volume, of the Faculty of Sciences, communist family, thought the campus was a veritable police state, and it was full of prostitutes who were only students who use little summer clothing. One day I pulled out of patience because the poor Carlos was a slave to his Marxist slogans, and blurted out why not going to study in Russia ...
met and fraternize with students from various countries around the world, Iranians and Indians, Africans, Chinese and South American. I remember a vet Iranian poet, who invited us to his house for dinner, and came with the usual flowers that requires the American label, told his wife, young and pretty, her dress was beautiful, and my amazement she pulled away and hid, was flushed, my colleague told me that in his country were not said those things to women, unless there is another intention. I apologized for my bad English. During dinner we were asked what degree of relationship my wife had and I, we were very different, to say that none were surprised because in Iran they were all relatives and marriages at arming parents ... and so had fewer divorces than in the West ...!
Japanese I met in the laboratory of Dr. Mc Kercher were serious. Once I spent an hour watching Joe Saito work I was doing a microtitre a herpes virus. As I did not ball, I asked him what he was doing and did not answer. Angry I took his arm and told him that the teacher had asked me I come to him to teach me the art technology at that time. Saito replied: he is their teacher, not me. And about ... The Midori Wada Ethel could not see Latinos, loose and bitten by the spider. Two years later, I recognized my ability to see how it worked on my thesis. When I was a plating technique in cell culture plates, I said, you're the first one to get to the first time, and without help the American style, and thereafter relied on my job ... was the special case Hiroshi Ito, a veterinarian, with a horrible sequelae of poliomyelitis as used in the summer coat up to cover their affected limbs. Once I invited him to my house, we invite you red wine with strawberries, drinking of the cup, turned purple and was very bad. After he passed I said I had a sort of intolerance to wine. And that had refused the glass of wine simply because the homeowner is not told no. Japanese matter of courtesy.
With the gringos was different, I had few friends among veterinary students. Bob Garrindo spoke English, the only Latino in the course; the Anita Hennes, delegate of course, a very good person gringa, I sat beside me and once I said quietly, in class, I was nervous for his large and beautiful legs I had next to me, she told me: You have the devil in the body (You have of devil on the mind), I argued in my country the girls were dressed like the beach or pool, but not to school ... With another gringo, Todd, who spoke English, who had learned when he went to Mexico to purchase marijuana, played ping-pong and I beat him so disliked. I had been runner-up school in Curico ... These gringos when I told them they were good gringos, they answered that they played the gringo in USA
was me ... I once went to a party of his course, and my surprise the first thing I saw was a gringa naked from the waist up, the shot I thought it would be good party, it was not, Susy was exceptional. This time I took Chilean pisco and did not like, they were champions for beer ...
With people of color had some small contacts, I managed to meet a technologist virology, very good person. They speak different English, something dragged. The first day I visited the campus, was in awe of vending machines for food and drink, when I met with three bold, a very beautiful, the other more or less and the third very fat. I told them it was South American and USA I really liked, but agreed with me that they did not like whites ... not overcome racial problems. The worst was a black man who did the toilet in the laboratory, once we talked about USA is exalted and yelled in English he does not understand much. It turned out he was a Black Panther. A few days after they were thrown by dangerous ...
The I graduate fellow Nigerians, sympathetic and understanding and to my surprise they were not well regarded by the Argentine media group that was racist and believed ...
People who worked in the laboratory of Dr. Mc Kercher were Cy Yanquee, an eternal student wealthy; Giovanni Castruchi of Italy, a great lord, Eliseo Hernández B. Mexico a good friend, a South African whose name I forget, and Japan's Hiroshi Ito.
My oldest son born in those days and I changed my tactics to study, he did at home and eating a lot. I had to start studying at the campus library was open until 12 midnight. Very complete library had the latest books and journals in the week that had been published ... Ah! On campus, everything was done by bike, absolutely everyone was walking on two wheels, including teachers. Occasionally there were real shot that left more than a wounded ...
Regarding the 40 families of Chileans who were on campus, it was difficult to fraternize with them, was the time of Allende and U.S. tensions were reflected there. I remember that 18 September was held together, but here Odds and there the upelientos. He did see a friend agronomist, and ironically I suggested that next year's celebration was made separately ... The truth is that there was an uneasy tension between Chilean students and their families included. Samples we were all prisoners of slogans, and did not see clearly the true reality. I realized something was wrong in Chile when my father told me he had gone to San Fernando to buy some chickens. Worse was when I knew that someone in the next coup, had sent a gift diaper relative ... Diapers, no never have occurred to me such a gift ...
I held two months without a car, until I became convinced that the USA car was indispensable. First I had a camionetita Ford, then a VW newest and most stylish I changed the end of a Chevy Nova 1973, I brought to Chile by boat and untaxed by the law of return of the military government ... Given the intense
pressure study, the campus had to start the weekend, so much to San Francisco I met a beautiful harbor, Los Angeles tremendously large and polluted, San Diego, beautiful, and the California state capital of Sacramento, a city flat, wide without tall buildings as San Francisco. Once we went to Northern California to Lake Tahoe, with its beautiful lake, beautiful forests and large casinos where a good day I won $ 300 the first play that I went three Buddhas, and as there was a player I retired with all the little money.
courses passed quickly and completed the required number of credits. I got a date for the review and I got sick, I think of pure nervous, so I gave up out of date. I gave a bad review because I was tense and did not understand the questions. But I passed!
And there, waiting for the doctoral career was safe but was not as well because I came out to my colleague H. Alcaíno C. Parasitology who introduced 5 minutes before it closed the period on the letterhead stating that the call for proposals said "Microbiology and Parasitology. " With this strategy I won and I was jumping on one leg. But, my good friend Donald Jasper, R-tome and back, very correct man told me not to worry. He came to Chile, and proposed as a candidate but without competition, ie the grant was for me or anyone. Asked 3 years but the Faculty Council was awarded just 2 years, who were actually 22 months, and the requirement that back then to do the thesis in Chile. I never imagined where it would do a PhD in Chile at that time and militarized ... I was lucky that I fell from heaven a herpes virus work on goats, a new virus that had appeared or emerged in California. I had more difficulty performing the work, and I finished a couple of months before the deadline. Remember that it was necessary courses require. I was not even remember for graduation and I missed with toga and all.
Before my thesis I had to meet the requirement of an examination qualifier (Qualifying). I set it up with a great tactic and not less strategy. I started studying the materials of Virology, reviewing and forgotten in at each point outside biochemistry or statistics, for this I organized at the Library of campus from 9:00 to 12:00, from 14:00 to 17: 00, and finally from 18:00 to 21:00. Studied alongside the V where he Virology and Veterinary. I lasted a month with the training and once they took off and after the scare I had when I realized I did not remember anything about the course, lowered the rate by eliminating the afternoon I stopped for a refreshing nap. One day I realized that I did not learn anything else, and I asked Dr. Jasper forward the date of my exam, which he could not believe as they always asked postponements.
In my test, with 5 high-quality teachers, I had the bad luck that Dr. Schwabe was intended to look at epidemiology and sent me to the blackboard to solve an epidemiological problem, just think that was all he had failed to mind to prepare. As the third attempt will achunté the problem. I spent 3 hours standing in that bombarded me with questions in immunology. And some of the virus. That was a good test that gave up, even when he was ready, Dr. Schwabe me wonder the likes of various famous men, their specialty and nationality. According to him, I knew about 50%, which should improve because it would be a teacher ... then he told me that in his doctoral examination had been asked that question and he had sworn revenge. It fell to me, but I left it with dignity ...
Then came the writing of the thesis, which helped a lot Dr. McKercher who, seeing that I was sleep, forced me to make a "break" in San Diego. EASA was busted by now, even my friends said goodbye in a room with strippers and all, I fell asleep a few meters from them ... This is in San Francisco, the Babylon of the west coast of USA.
With Mc Kercher had a couple of disagreements, once said, You Do not have enough balls! What angered him greatly. I asked where he learned these things, I told Midori that taught me the ... which was partly true. I was always very frank with him, and I think I was good and that the dismissal said he could say to me was that he knew what I was thinking ... and point, y. .. accepted me as such ...
I went by car to Houston Texas, from there flown to Miami on Lan Chile to Santiago, and after nearly 4 years of serious study I found a changed country, including the veterinary school was no longer in the Quinta Normal but in Santa Rosa Ave. And with many new teachers. It took reinserted, remember that a technologist, Miss Mary, the day after I arrived I was told that he was told he would get a bad man and a communist to boot, and the important thing is that Miss Mary had studied for nun did not see it that way. Otherwise I was never communist or Marxist!
Quite a change. Go to change. I took a year to get used in Chile ... and the "U" de Chile ...
That year was a black year '75, having nothing to do. Since 1976 started with herpes research animals, classes of Virology and Immunology at undergraduate and graduate. He was the best laboratory of Virology, which was equipped with everything needed by the Ford Foundation.
worked intensively from 1976 to 1995 when I left the "U" retired by anticipation.
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