| Date | 1896 |
| Author | Hankin |
| Contribution | Postulated a living entity (bacteriophage?) capable of blocking infectivity of cholera germs. |
| Reference | MacGregor |
| Notes | According to John MacGregor in New Scientist, 5 April, 2003, chemist E. H. Hankin found that water from River Ganges blocked 'the spread' of the cholera vibrio. This was not the case when the water was boiled, suggesting the presence of a living entity, and thus 'phages came to our attention in 1896.' Not clear from this account how closely Hankin came to anticipating the well known discovery of phages by d'Herelle and by Twort early in the early 20th century. |
| Category | Miscellany |
| Pathogen Class | Viruses |
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