William Watson Cheyne and the Advancement of Bacteriology

William Watson Cheyne (1852–1932), a surgeon by training and a student of Joseph Lister, was a prominent British bacteriologist who published 60 papers and 13 monographs from 1879 to 1927. A proponent of the idea that bacteriology and medicine were interdependent disciplines, he investigated the causes and treatment of wound infections, tuberculosis, cholera, tetanus and gangrene. In 1897, he organized an historical outline of 19th century bacteriology in five landmark periods of discovery, each defined by the work of an influential figure. This study documents his contributions to the history of microbiology and describes his activities as a laboratory investigator, clinician, surgeon, translator, editor and educator.

Charles DePaolo, the author of numerous books, is a professor of English at Manhattan Community College, the City University of New York. He lives in Aberdeen, New Jersey.

Charles DePaolo
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 280
Bibliographic Info: 5 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6651-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2641-3
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments vi

Introduction 1

Part I. Landmarks I–V

 1. 1857–1896: Pasteur and Lister—Landmark I 11

 2. 1871–1878: Cheyne and Lister—Landmark I 32

 3. 1878–1882: Robert Koch—Landmark II 37

 4. 1878–1925: Alexander Ogston—Landmark III 54

 5. 1884–1889: A. J. F. Rosenbach—Landmark IV 71

 6. 1879–1895: Élie Metchnikoff—Landmark V 90

Part II. William Watson Cheyne: Landmark VI

 7. 1882–1920: Tuberculosis and ­Anti-Vivisection 99

 8. 1881–1886: Asiatic Cholera 128

 9. 1870–1902: Listerism on the Battlefield 153

10. 1914–1918: Listerism on the Battlefield 176

11. 1886–1899: Bacteriology and Medicine 211

Appendix I: Cheyne and His Achievements: A Timeline of His Work in Medicine and Bacteriology by Patrick A. DePaolo 219

Appendix II: Lister’s 1875 Visit to Germany 223

Chapter Notes 225

Bibliography 230

Index 263