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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Unpublished paper, 'Observations on the influence of certain culture fluids and medicinal reagents on the growth and development of Bacillus tuberculosus [Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Koch bacillus]' by C [Charles] Theodore Williams

Reference number: AP/62/8

Date: 1883

Description

The object of Williams' research is to determine the conditions under which the Bacillus tuberculosis of Koch grows and multiplies, and to examine its behaviour under the influence of certain medicinal agents and reputed antiseptics. The sputum of patients in advanced phthisis is used for experiment, on account of its abundance, the number of tubercle bacilli found in it, and its being easily preserved from decomposition when protected from the air. The sputum is spread on cover-glasses, due precautions being taken to ensure a uniform thickness of the film, and the staining process used is that known as the 'Weigert-Ehrlich modification' of Koch’s original method.

Subject: Physiology / Pathology

Received 28 December 1883. Read 24 January 1884. Communicated by Sir Joseph Fayrer.

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 36 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'Observations on the influence of certain culture fluids and medicinal reagents in the growth and development of the Bacillus tuberculosis'.

Reference number
AP/62/8
Earliest possible date
1883
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
21 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

Charles Theodore Williams

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Citation

Charles Theodore Williams, Unpublished paper, 'Observations on the influence of certain culture fluids and medicinal reagents on the growth and development of Bacillus tuberculosus [Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Koch bacillus]' by C [Charles] Theodore Williams, 1883, AP/62/8, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_62_8/unpublished-paper-observations-on-the-influence-of-certain-culture-fluids-and-medicinal-reagents-on-the-growth-and-development-of-bacillus-tuberculosus-mycobacterium-tuberculosis-or-koch-bacillus-by-c-charles-theodore-williams, accessed on 24 May 2025

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    The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.

    Dates: 1768 - 1989

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