A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Perhaps Koch's greatest contribution to the development of bacteriology and microbiology as independent sciences was his introduction of a pure culture technique using solid or semi‐solid media‐soon known throughout the world as “Koch's plate technique” (Plattenverfahren). The basis of the plate technique is the development of isolated colonies on solid or semi‐solid surfaces. Koch began the section on pure cultures with this solidly based statement: "The pure culture is the foundation for all research on infectious diseases." In his paper, Koch then turned to an explanation of the rationale for the plate technique that he had developed. Koch's work described in this paper was an amazing tour de force, one rarely duplicated in the scientific world. Koch realized immediately that the plate technique had many uses besides its value for the isolation of pure cultures. One final extension of the plate technique should be mentioned here: the development by Richard J. Petri of a special plate for agar or gelatin culture. The far‐reaching implications of the Koch plate technique are obvious to all bacteriologists. When we contemplate this miracle now, we might wonder why the plate technique had not been thought of earlier. Certainly one o f the major reasons was that earlier workers lacked the will to develop new techniques. As long as one had doubts about the germ theory o f disease, there was little motivation for thinking up new techniques.
Perhaps Koch's greatest contribution to the development of bacteriology and microbiology as independent sciences was his introduction of a pure culture technique using solid or semi‐solid media‐soon known throughout the world as “Koch's plate technique” (Plattenverfahren). The basis of the plate technique is the development of isolated colonies on solid or semi‐solid surfaces. Koch began the section on pure cultures with this solidly based statement: "The pure culture is the foundation for all research on infectious diseases." In his paper, Koch then turned to an explanation of the rationale for the plate technique that he had developed. Koch's work described in this paper was an amazing tour de force, one rarely duplicated in the scientific world. Koch realized immediately that the plate technique had many uses besides its value for the isolation of pure cultures. One final extension of the plate technique should be mentioned here: the development by Richard J. Petri of a special plate for agar or gelatin culture. The far‐reaching implications of the Koch plate technique are obvious to all bacteriologists. When we contemplate this miracle now, we might wonder why the plate technique had not been thought of earlier. Certainly one o f the major reasons was that earlier workers lacked the will to develop new techniques. As long as one had doubts about the germ theory o f disease, there was little motivation for thinking up new techniques.
Simple Gifts: The Plate Technique
Brock, Thomas D. (author)
Robert Koch ; 94-104
1998-05-26
11 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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