Victor Trikojus

In that same year, he was awarded an 1851 Exhibition science research scholarship and chose to study at the University of Oxford under William Henry Perkin Jr.

where he also rowed in the Queens College Eight.

Trikojus' thesis was entitled 'The Introduction of the Methylenedioxy Group and of Similar Groups into the Aromatic Nucleus'; evidence of Perkin's habit of assigning his students small pieces of larger problems.

Victor Martin "Trik" Trikojus CBE, DSc, FAA (1902–1985) was an Australian professor of biochemistry.

He was the second professor and head of the School of Biochemistry at the University of Melbourne

Trikojus was born on 5 February 1902 in Darlinghurst, Sydney, to August Trikojus (1857–1911) and Charlotte (née Thompson, 1879–1955), his second wife.

His father was a hairdresser and tobacconist of Lithuanian background born in Tilsit, East Prussia (now Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia).

His mother was of English background, born in Port Macquarie.

He was the eldest of three children.

There he met his future wife, Russian émigrée Lisuscha Engels (born 1905 Fryanovo, Russian Empire, died 1984, Melbourne), who had accompanied her wool-buyer father from Germany.

Trikojus attended Sydney Technical High School from 1916 to 1920 where he studied physics, chemistry, mathematics, history, English, German, woodwork, metalwork, and mechanical drawing.

He became head prefect, captain and dux of the school, and a member of its rugby and rowing teams.

It was here where he received the nickname "Trik", by which he would be known to his family, friends and colleagues for the rest of his life.

Trikojus earned a first class honours degree in organic chemistry from the University of Sydney in 1925.

This thesis earned him his Doctorate of Philosophy in 1927 making him only the second Australian to do so at Oxford, after Henry Brose.

Trikojus and Perkin Jr. also published work on the synthesis of safrole.

Following this, he was awarded a third year of his scholarship, which he spent in Munich, working under Heinrich Wieland at the Laboratorium des Staates.

After nine months in Munich, Trikojus returned to Sydney late in 1928, due to his mother becoming ill.

There he found a position of lecturer in the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Sydney.

From having a European father and spending time in those countries, Trikojus felt comfortable in the more-vibrant émigré communities in Sydney.

In 1932 he took up a lectureship in medical organic chemistry in the Department of Medicine.

That was also the year he and Lisuscha married, living in Kings Cross.

In newspaper articles, his wife's first name was often anglicised to Elizabeth.

Lisuscha accompanied him, along with their first child, Nina (born 1934), who died suddenly that year in Stuttgart of a respiratory infection.

Until 1936, Trikojus' research was centred on discovering the chemical structures of organic compounds, and occasionally developing methods to synthesise organic compounds in the laboratory.

He had published nine scientific papers on this kind of work.

1936 marked a major shift in his interests when the head of his department, Prof. Charles George Lambie, published work on thyroid hormone metabolism.

Trikojus began his sabbatical leave that year in Germany, at the University of Freiburg, working on thyrotropic hormone (better known as thyroid-stimulating hormone) with Arnold Loeser.

Thyroid enzymes would remain his passion throughout his scientific career.

After returning to Australia in 1937, Trikojus and Lisuscha had another daughter, Natalja.

On 1 November 1937, Trikojus wrote an article entitled ‘Some impressions of Germany and neighbouring countries’ (Australian Institute of International Affairs), in which stated, "I have been greatly impressed by the regeneration which Hitler has wrought in the nation" and "The anti-Jewish propaganda continues, but it is not serious... It is interesting to note that any Jews who are useful to the Nazis are kept in their positions".

These comments arose from a cloistered scientific environment and were by no means political at the time – knowledge of the persecution that was happening in Germany wasn’t widespread in the general community.

However, they assumed far greater significance after the outbreak of war and, together with Trikojus' contact with scientists and friends in Germany and command of the German language, would have disastrous consequence for his life and family.

His biographers Legge and Gibson note that "a number of members of Lisuscha's family were still living in Germany, and he may simply have been careful to avoid making any remarks that might conceivably affect them."

In 1940, Trikojus was chair of the Drugs Subcommittee of the Australian Association of Scientific Workers.

The Australian pharmaceutical industry was insufficiently advanced to produce critical drugs in the event of closure of sea-lanes for imports from Europe and the USA.

He organised the up-scaling of drug production for 11 different drugs critical for the war effort including ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and sulfaguanidine.

His previous experience in the development of methods to synthesise organic compounds was invaluable in his efforts.

His son, future cinematographer Alexander (Sasha) Trikojus was also born that year.

from 1943 to 1968.