| Date | 1877 |
| Author | Cohn |
| Contribution | Reported that the hay bacillus has a heat-resistant spore form. |
| Reference | Brock (1961) |
| Notes | Garrison (4th edition) points out that Ferdinand Cohn discovered spore of Bacillus subtilis in 1876 (after Davaine's anthrax work and before Koch's anthrax work but in the same year as Koch's work). The discovery was not published until the following year. English translation in Brock, 1961. Cohn's work was a major factor in resolving the confusion resulting from inconsistency in the attempts of various workers to sterilize liquids by boiling. It was thus an important contribution to the spontaneous generation debate and to the methodology of microbiological science. The paper included a plate bearing drawings by Koch of the anthrax bacillus, and Cohn pointed out that the drawings could actually represent both B. anthracis and B. subtilis. |
| Category | Miscellany |
| Pathogen Class | Bacteria |
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