Career
Together they had four children: Carl Johan, Pontus, Per and Blenda. He contracted tuberculosis as a youth. After years of treatment, he recovered.
This experience led him to want to become a doctor.
He was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in 1940 as a result of his dissertation on vision neurophysiology. He was a professor at the Karolinska Institute from 1948 through 1971.
He was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Academy during the years 1973 through 1981. In this period, he developed a special interest in one of his predecessors -- Jons Jacob Berzelius.
Bernhard founded the Berzelius Society and published two books on Berzelius:
1985 – Medical Berzelius bland franska snillen och slocknade vulkaner
1993 – Berzelius Europaresenären - bland forskare, prostar och poeter.