Google Doodle Honours Well Known Microbiologist Hans Christian Gram!

If there Is one thing we all should remember  it’s the ability of Google doodles to remind us of great personalities and their contributions in a very interesting way. And today marks an important day for Biology and advancement in science. Google Doodle has honoured Danish microbiologist Hans Christian Gram on his 166th birth anniversary today. Born in Copenhagen on September 13, 1853, Hans Christian discovered a staining technique which is used to identify and classify different types of bacteria. The technique is used till date and is still one of the most effective methods to classify a  bacteria.

Gram entered medical school in 1878 and graduated in 1883. He earned his MD from the University of Copenhagen in 1878, after which he traveled through Europe to study bacteriology and pharmacology.

Gram also worked in the lab of German microbiologist Karl Friedländer, which is when he discovered his technique. While treating a smear of bacteria with a crystal violet stain, followed by an iodine solution and organic solvent, he found differences in the structure and biochemical function of samples. By his staining technique,  he could figure out whether certain bacteria had a type of cell wall or not.

Gram’s findings were published in a journal in 1884, from where the terms Gram-positive and Gram-negative were coined.