Nexus - 1901 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

Rockefeller Institute, New York City, 1933 the fact that Pfeiffer's influenza bacillus was Gram- After the pandemic of 1918-19, the name of Pfeiffer's negative still didn't rule it out as a bacillary derivative of bacillus, Mycobacterium influenzae, was officially changed to the tubercle bacillus. Furthermore, the organism was Haemophilus influenzae. American bacteriologist Margare arbitrarily named Haemophilus influenzae (from the Greek Pittman, who later defined the two major strains of H. —_ haemophilus, meaning "blood-loving"), but it grew on the influenzae, both encapsulated and unencapsulated, same blood-based cultures on which Mycobacterium pinpointed the influenza bacillus's name change to the _ tuberculosis had long thrived.” 920 report by Charles-Edward A. Winslow and To many in the lay and scientific communities, colleagues for the Society of American Bacteriologists' bacterial names and classifications are hallowed ground. nomenclature committee.” In the same Rockefeller | But Sneath and Brenner's 1992 paper“ for the American nstitute paper, Pittman admitted that pleomorphis Society for Microbiology clarified that there was no such Philip Hadley, poster scientist for the many forms in _ thing as an official classification of bacteria or "approved bacterial life cycles, contributed "new and importan lists" and that even Bergey's Manual was not "official" bu nowledge concerning variations in bacteria", knowing merely the best consensus at the time. Therefore, ull well that her own findings on the different virulence Sneath and Brenner said, bacterial lists and of "smooth" and “rough” forms of H. classifications (called "taxonomy") are influenzae were probably held up for partly a matter of judgement and decades by Koch and Winslow's opinion, as is all science, and, unti monomorphist dogma, which held * new information is available, differen enormous sway. Yet Winslow and bacteriologists may legitimately hold far ftom the ideal choice to head a nbs Soleus George Fox and colleagues reminded panel to rename Mycobacterium decided to ignore us that even regarding today's sacred influenzae to Haemophilus influenzae. Not Pfeiffer’s bacillus’s 16S rRNA sequence identity as a only was he an avid one-form-only previously criterion for species identification, 16S bacteriologist,” leaving very little tRNA may not be sufficient alone to room for Cerone wher could documented varanice Bpecies ‘venti b al appear in both fungal and bacteria egrettably, no attempt at bacteria forms, but his unique thought fungal forms, nomenclature, since its inception, has processes became obvious when, concluding that, left room for a microbe such as as Professor of Public Health at . Pfeiffer's, which exists in more Yale, he said he believed that unlike the than one form, both bacterial and posture was a neglected cause of 0 fungal, true to its original tuberculosis, a disease known mycobacteria, mycobacterial designation. The it stained Gram- negative and liked haemoglobin. price of this to the world’s future health and welfare would be substantial. Today, we are carefully taught that Pfeiffer's bacillus, historically Mycobacterium influenzae, was erroneously thought to have caused and been behind stained Gram-negative and liked the Great Pandemic of 1918-19. haemoglobin. But neither was We are not taught that Pfeiffer's conclusive enough to warrant the name change that bacillus itself has a viral cell-wall-deficient phase which Winslow had in mind. goes right through a filter. Nor are we taught that its Tuberculosis specialist Stephen Maher wrote in 1913: original difficulty in cultivation on normal media alone, "All non-acid coccal and bacillary derivatives of the — without blood's haemoglobin, almost classified it, a priori, tubercle bacillus are, strange to say, Gram-negative.’ as a "virus" in the minds of those who relentlessly tracked Krylow confirmed Maher's observation that TB could stain _a virus for influenza. Gram-negative.” The Gram stain, developed by Hans Christian Gram, separates bacteria based on their cell Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York City, 1952 walls. The thick layers in "Gram-positive" cell walls stain It was in 1952 that Cornelius P. Rhoads, Director of the purple, while the thin "Gram-negative" cell walls appear Sloan-Kettering Institute for cancer research in New York pink. Like other bacilli, cultures of TB, on the other hand, City, remarked in the introduction to a conference on could be Gram-positive when young but might become __ viruses and cancer that the term "virus" had achieved "a Gram-negative as they aged. Hans Much saw this in high professional status with doubtful credentials".* 1907”, and Chandrasekhar reported it in 1983.* Therefore, Papers such as that of Peter Palese,” of the Mount since antiquity for its spine- bending changes. Yet Winslow and his colleagues decided to ignore Pfeiffer's bacillus's previously documented fungal forms, concluding that, unlike the mycobacteria, it his colleagues decided to ignore Pfeiffer’s bacillus’s to previously documented fungal forms, concluding that, unlike the mycobacteria, it stained Gram- negative and liked haemoglobin. Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York City, 1952 It was in 1952 that Cornelius P. Rhoads, Director of the Sloan-Kettering Institute for cancer research in New York City, remarked in the introduction to a conference on viruses and cancer that the term "virus" had achieved "a high professional status with doubtful credentials". Papers such as that of Peter Palese,” of the Mount 56 * NEXUS Yet Winslow and DECEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012 www.nexusmagazine.com