Julius Richard Petri
Encyclopedia
Julius Richard Petri was a German
bacteriologist
who is generally credited with inventing the Petri dish
while working as assistant to Robert Koch
.
Petri first studied medicine at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Academy for Military Physicians (1871 – 1875) and received his medical degree in 1876. He continued his studies at the Charité Hospital
in Berlin
and was on active duty as a military physician until 1882, continuing as a reservist.
From 1877 – 1879 he was assigned to the Kaiserliches Gesundheitsamt (Imperial Health Office) in Berlin
, where he became an assistant to Robert Koch. On the advice of Angelina Hesse, the New York
-born wife of another assistant, Walther Hesse
, the Koch laboratory began to culture bacteria on agar plates. Petri then invented the standard culture dish, or Petri plate, and further developed the technique of agar culture to purify or clone
bacterial colonies derived from single cells. This advance made it possible to rigorously identify the bacteria responsible for disease.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
bacteriologist
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
who is generally credited with inventing the Petri dish
Petri dish
A Petri dish is a shallow glass or plastic cylindrical lidded dish that biologists use to culture cells or small moss plants. It was named after German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri, who invented it when working as an assistant to Robert Koch...
while working as assistant to Robert Koch
Robert Koch
Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch was a German physician. He became famous for isolating Bacillus anthracis , the Tuberculosis bacillus and the Vibrio cholerae and for his development of Koch's postulates....
.
Petri first studied medicine at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Academy for Military Physicians (1871 – 1875) and received his medical degree in 1876. He continued his studies at the Charité Hospital
Charité
The Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin is the medical school for both the Humboldt University and the Free University of Berlin. After the merger with their fourth campus in 2003, the Charité is one of the largest university hospitals in Europe....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and was on active duty as a military physician until 1882, continuing as a reservist.
From 1877 – 1879 he was assigned to the Kaiserliches Gesundheitsamt (Imperial Health Office) in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he became an assistant to Robert Koch. On the advice of Angelina Hesse, the New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-born wife of another assistant, Walther Hesse
Walter Hesse
Walther Hesse is best known for his work in microbiology, specifically his work in developing Agar as a medium for culturing microorganisms.-Biography:...
, the Koch laboratory began to culture bacteria on agar plates. Petri then invented the standard culture dish, or Petri plate, and further developed the technique of agar culture to purify or clone
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
bacterial colonies derived from single cells. This advance made it possible to rigorously identify the bacteria responsible for disease.