The Branches Into Which Bacteriology Is Now Ramifying" Revisited
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by PubMed Central YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 72 (1999), pp. 303-31 1. Copyright © 2000. All rights reserved. ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION "The Branches into Which Bacteriology Is Now Ramifying" Revisited J. W. Bennetta and J. Karrb aDepartment of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana; and bASM Archives, Albin 0. Kuhn Library, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Bal- timore, Maryland The American Societyfor Microbiology was originallyfounded in 1899 as the Society ofAmerican Bacteriologists. The transitionfrom "bacteriology" to "microbiology" andfrom an emphasis on the identity ofthe membership (bacteriologists) to an emphasis on the discipline (microbiology) was a contentious one that occurred in several steps. This article reviews the history and events that accompanied this development. The professional society now known were poorly understood. Committees of as the American Society for Microbiology SAB were instrumental in stabilizing and (ASM)C called itself the Society of Amer- clarifying bacterial taxonomy. As the pro- ican Bacteriologists (SAB) from 1899 found differences between prokaryotes until 1960. Although many members of and eukaryotes were elucidated, it became SAB studied non-bacterial life forms, for increasingly difficult to unify the microbi- decades they were comfortable calling ological sciences under the rubric "bacte- themselves bacteriologists. How did the riology." In changing the name, members term "bacteriology" come to stand for all of the society had come to agree that of microbiology in America? It is argued "bacteriology" was too restrictive a term that this scientific synecdoche was based to describe the full activities of the pro- on the fact that early bacteriologists dis- fession. Yet as SAB/ASM celebrates its tinguished themselves more by the meth- Centennial, microbiology itself may have ods they used than by the taxonomic sta- become a scientific synecdoche. Microbi- tus of the organisms they studied. In addi- ological systems and microbiological tion, at the time SAB was founded, Ger- techniques have permeated all of molecu- man scientific influences were strong, and lar and cell biology. Changes in profes- the systematics of microscopic life forms sional self-appellation have been reflected b To whom all correspondence should be addressed: Mr. Jeff Karr, ASM Archives, Albin 0. Kuhn Library, UMBC, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250; Tel.: 410-455-3601; Fax: 410-455-1088; E-mail [email protected] c Abbreviations: SAB, Society of American Bacteriologists; ASM, American Society for Microbiology. Received June 20, 2000; accepted June 24, 2000. 303 304 Bennett and Karr: Bacteriology or microbiology? in the name of the Society's quarterly and systematics. More recently, hybrid review journal. Founded as Bacteriologi- labels are popular: biochemistry, bio- cal Reviews in 1937, and becoming physics, molecular biology, environmental Microbiological Reviews in 1977, the science, and so forth. journal renamed itself Molecular and Microbiology is often defined as "the Microbiological Reviews in 1997. scientific study of organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye." Viewed in this way, microbiology is a traditional but DEFINITIONS AND DESIGNATIONS "artificial" classification based on the A botanist is one who studies plants; minute size of the life forms under study. a zoologist is one who studies animals. By The formal taxonomic categories span this simple lexical logic, a bacteriologist is several kingdoms and include archebacte- one who studies bacteria. Nevertheless, ria, eubacteria, microfungi, protozoa, uni- from the time of its founding in 1899 as cellular algae, and viruses; the cognate the Society of American Bacteriologists, scientific disciplines are bacteriology, pro- the society now known as the American tozoology and virology; and parts of Society for Microbiology has included a mycology, parasitology, and phycology. substantial membership of scientists who When defined in this way, the essential studied organisms that were not bacteria tool of the microbiologist is the micro- (e.g., brewing yeasts, malarial protozoa, scope. Indeed, the compound microscope "filterable" viruses, and so forth). Why did is often employed as the defining icon of early microbiologists call themselves bac- the microbiological sciences; for example, teriologists? What is the difference it was adopted as the new ASM logo in between a bacteriologist and a microbiol- celebration of the Society's centennial ogist? Does it matter? (Figure lc). Nevertheless, despite the It has been said that we are all taxon- prominent exploitation of the microscope omists at heart. Certainly, among biolo- as a unifying symbol, it is not an entirely gists, there is a strong need to label and satisfactory emblem. Microbiologists are categorize our professional interests. concerned with much more than the size Sometimes distinctions are made between of organisms. Many outstanding microbi- applied and fundamental disciplines. ologists rarely if ever use a microscope. Applied biological sciences are subdivid- More importantly, early bacteriologists ed into categories such as agriculture, elucidated the nature of viruses, entities industry, and medicine. In recent years, too small to be seen with a light micro- the rubric "biotechnologist" has come into scope, by relying on the non-microscopic vogue, encompassing people in all three of tools of their trade. It is in these other tools these areas who use the new molecular that we must seek the origins and the tools of genetic engineering, immunology, nature of the profession that called itself genomics, and such. The fundamental bio- bacteriology. logical sciences are also divided up in var- ious ways. Traditionally, the kind of organism studied is the organizational THE FOUNDING OF SAB principle of choice: e.g., mycology (the During the end of the nineteenth cen- study of fungi); phycology (the study of tury, a time of profound technological algae); protozoology (the study of proto- change and belief in scientific progress, zoa). Cross-organismal labels based in sci- many scientific disciplines were undergo- entific approach are also used: e.g., ecolo- ing a period of professionalization. The gy, genetics, neurobiology, physiology, Society of American Bacteriologists was Bennett and Karr: Bacteriology or microbiology? 305 Figure 1. ASM logos from 1916 to present. Figure la, left. Drawing by Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek used as logo in Journal of Bacteriology publications beginning in 1916. Fig- ure 1 b, center. Logo designed in 1974 for 75th anniversary of ASM. Figure 1c, right. Logo designed for ASM centennial in 1999. founded by three members of the Ameri- was presented; a constitution was adopted; can Society of Naturalists: A. C. Abbott Dr. William T. Sedgwick of MIT was (University of Pennsylvania), E. 0. Jordan elected president; and 59 people were (University of Chicago) and H. W. Conn enrolled as charter members (consisting of (Wesleyan University). According to pub- the 30 people attending the New Haven lished records, they met informally in meeting plus anyone else who had 1898 about the feasibility of establishing a responded to the letter of inquiry) [1, 2]. society devoted specifically to bacteriolo- Although some of the charter members gy, appointed themselves as a committee, worked with non-bacterial microbes, by and then sent out a letter describing their voting to adopt the constitution they called goals: themselves a Society ofAmerican Bacteri- It is thought that such an association will ologists. There is no record of a discussion conduce to unification of methods and about the consideration of the alternate aims, will emphasize the position of bacte- term, "microbiologists," and apparently riology as one of the biological sciences, none took place. and will bring together workers interested SAB held its next meeting at Balti- in the various branches into which bacteri- more, Maryland, in 1900. Sedgwick's ology is now ramifying [1, p. 287]. presidential address on "The Origin, In this and subsequent organizational Scope and Significance of Bacteriology" letters, the venture was referred to as "a attempted to define and circumscribe the society of American bacteriologists" or a discipline. The speech barely mentioned "proposed Society of American bacteriol- the microscope; rather, it addressed the ogists." Thus, at the earliest stages, there way in which early bacteriologists devel- was a presumption that what would form oped a number of special experimental the basis of the society was a common techniques to circumvent the difficulties interest in "bacteriology." The organiza- inherent in studying organisms invisible to tional meeting was held on December 28, the naked eye. Sedgwick began with a 1899, at Yale University in New Haven, grandiloquent genealogy: "Bacteriology is Connecticut, with approximately 30 peo- a child of the 19th century. It is the off- ple in attendance. A scientific program spring of chemistry and biology, enriched 306 Bennett and Karr: Bacteriology or microbiology? by physics with the gift of the achromatic bacteriologists were developing approach- microscope. ." [3, p. 121]. Bacteriology, es unlike those used by other biologists. according to Sedgwick, traced its origins Before the era of industrial agriculture, to the study of fermentation, putrefaction, beekeeping was one of the purest forms of decomposition