283:, and benefits for long term storage, which rectified many of the problems associated with gelatin. In comparison to agar, which could remain solid at temperatures up to 90°C while settling at temperatures below 45°C, gelatin liquified at 37°C, which made it an unsuitable media to plate many types of bacteria in laboratory conditions. The agar "dessert medium" invented by Hesse, and that her husband Walther used to culture bacteria in his laboratory, had a percent composition of 1%-1.5%. The agar that Hesse popularized does not melt below 85°C and is often observed at 100°C. Agar-based mediums were capable of providing a firmer media at higher temperatures, which allowed for better
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229:. According to one source, Hesse suggested to her husband, Walther, the use of agar in his experiments. Before the suggestion to use agar, Walter Hesse and Koch had attempted using potato slices as a medium to culture pure colonies. Once this proved to be unsubstantial, they attempted utilizing a nutrient-rich gelatin media, which still did not provide adequate stability for producing cultures for examination.
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days, destroying some of the bacteria. In addition to these technical duties, she used her artistic abilities to draw pictures of bacterial colonies as viewed under a microscope in the different phases of bacteria growth to use in her husband's journal publications. At the time of her recommendation for agar as a plating medium, Hesse was also helping her husband culture air-borne bacteria.
271:. Hesse's suggestion of using agar also proved to be central to her husband's success in analyzing microbial counts in air, as he initially ran into problems with summertime temperatures liquefying the gelatin. Subsequent experiments following her suggestion of using agar as an alternative gelling agent revealed its advantages in
643:"Die Tuberkelbacillen lassen sich auch noch auf anderen Nährsubstraten kultiviren, wenn letztere ähnliche Eigenschaften wie das erstarrte Blutserum besitzen. So wachsen sie beispielsweise auf einer mit Agar-Agar bereiteten, bei Blutwärme hart bleibenden Gallerte, welche einen Zusatz von Fleischinfus und Pepton erhalten hat."
645:(The tubercule bacilli can also be cultivated on other media, if the latter have properties similar to those of congealed blood serum. Thus they grow, for example, on a gelatinous mass that was prepared with agar-agar, which remains solid at blood temperature, and which has received a supplement of meat broth and peptone.)
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images of colonies of fungi and bacteria on solid growth media, and her illustrations were included in her husband's work that was published in 1884. Hesse helped to coat test tubes with gelatin for her husband to use in growing microorganisms before they discovered that gelatin easily melted on warm
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In his paper on the etiology of tuberculosis, Robert Koch wrote: “The tubercle bacilli can also be cultured on other nutrient substrates, if the latter possess similar properties to the solidified serum. They are able to grow on a solidified gel which remains solid at incubator temperature, prepared
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that he used agar, he did not credit either Hesse. At the time, Koch didn't recognize yet the importance of agar. Later on in her life, she chose to keep and take care of all of her illustrations and
Walther's papers and documents, out of respect for Walther's work and her own contributions to his
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Hesse would end up outliving her husband by 23 years, and her illustrations and
Walther's papers have been passed down to her grandchildren as part of her personal collection. Following Walther's death, she moved into the town to be closer to her family and children for the remainder of her life.
256:, and it was later introduced to Europe by Dutch citizens in the East Indies for the creation of fruit jellies. She initially had been utilizing agar as a replacement for gelatin in dishes she prepared in her kitchen, finding agar more versatile in resisting summer temperatures for fruit
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discoveries. The Hesses chose to not exploit their contributions with agar commercially, citing the action as improper conduct. Hesse's contribution never resulted in financial benefit for the Hesse family, but continues to remain central to the fields of
244:. She was aware of the properties of agar as a gelling agent, able to maintain its physical properties at warm temperatures, through her usage of it at home. Hesse had first learned about agar from her mother's friends that had lived in the
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Bonnet, M., Lagier, J. C., Raoult, D., & Khelaifia, S. (2019). Bacterial culture through selective and non-selective conditions: The evolution of culture media in clinical microbiology. New
Microbes and New Infections, 34.
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Hesse was first introduced to her husband and research partner, Walther Hesse, through an introduction by his brother
Richard whilst he was visiting New York. Fanny Hesse then met Walther again in 1872 while traveling in
116:. Shortly afterwards, the couple began to reside in the Erzgebirge mountain range due to Walther Hesse's work in nearby uranium mines as a doctor. She and her family would later live in Strehlen, a suburb of
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In addition to her housekeeping duties, Hesse worked in an unpaid capacity to assist her husband by preparing bacterial growth media, cleaning equipment, and producing illustrations for scientific
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was kept as enemy property. It was not until many years later that she began to receive small sums of money and other items included with her inheritance, in addition to the
50:, they were instrumental in pioneering agar's usage as a common gelling agent for producing media capable of culturing microorganisms at high temperatures.
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and isolation of bacterial colonies in the conditions
Walther and Koch performed their experiments in. Eventually, the agar media would be used by
225:, he struggled with performing experiments on gelatin medium that liquified due to gelatin-liquefying organisms and temperature increases during
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83:. She and her sisters learned about cooking and housekeeping from their mother beginning at an early age. At the age of 15, she attended a
264:, and subsequently suggested it as an alternative when Walther complained to her about gelatin breaking down in the summertime heat.
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Hesse's suggestion led to
Walther and Koch successfully using agar as a plating medium for cultivating the bacteria that caused
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air raids, many of the Hesse family mementos have been lost aside from those that Hesse managed to collect from family members.
79:. Hesse was the oldest of ten children, five of whom died early on in their lives, and they were raised at Laurel Hill Manor in
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Madigan, M.T., Martinko, J.M., Dunlap, P.V., and Clark, D.P. Brock
Biology of Microorganisms, 16th edition. Pearson.
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466:"Mittheilungen aus dem Kaiserlichen Gesundheitsamte: Mittheilungen aus dem Kaiserlichen Gesundheitsamte, 2.1884"
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to
Gottfried Eilshemius, a wealthy import merchant, and his wife, Cécile Elise (née Robert). Her family is of
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Following unsuccessful attempts of culturing microorganisms on gelatin mediums, Hesse then suggested that
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185:. Hesse became familiar with her husband's work over time, performing a role similar to a modern-day
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The Lancet (2021). "The art of medicine: Past and present women pioneers in biomedical science."
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with her sister
Eugenie. The couple engaged in 1873 and married in 1874 with a wedding held in
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124:. Referred to as Lina in her family, Hesse and her husband had 3 sons. Hesse and her brother
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Guardino, Robert F. "Chapter 1: Early
History of Microbiology and Microbiological Methods."
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In 1881, while her husband was working in the laboratory of German physician and
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extract itself originates. Agar was first utilized in seaweed extracts in
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470:-: Mittheilungen aus dem Kaiserlichen Gesundheitsamte, 2.1884, -: - -
144:, the Hesse family home in New Jersey was sold and her part of the
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379:"Walther and Angelina Hesse - Early Contributions to Bacteriology"
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136:, with Louis earning some fame for his work later on in his life.
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International Women in Science: A Biographical Dictionary to 1950
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June 22, 1850 – December 1, 1934) is best known for her work in
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514:"Koch's colonies and the culinary contribution of Fanny Hesse"
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by adding agar-agar to a meat infusion or peptone medium.”
295:, a model of culture plates used in modern laboratory work.
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Berliner Klinische Wochenschrift (Berlin Clinical Weekly)
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704:"Julius Richard Petri and the Petri Dish | SciHi Blog"
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Koch, Robert; Brock, Thomas D.; Fred, E. B. (1982).
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Hitchens, Arthur Parker; Leikind, Morris C. (1939).
410:"The Forgotten Woman Who Made Microbiology Possible"
384:. American Society for Microbiology. Archived from
770:The Forgotten Woman Who Made Microbiology Possible
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543:"The Introduction of Agar-agar into Bacteriology"
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673:https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Agar
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656:Encyclopedia of Rapid Microbiological Methods
128:both shared an early interest and talent for
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302:Although Koch mentioned in an 1882 paper on
189:. She also performed a role as a scientific
42:. Following her initial suggestion of using
758:AGAR and the Quest to Isolate Pure Cultures
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631:[The etiology of tuberculosis].
613:. Springer Science & Business Media.
322:techniques for producing plating media.
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629:"Die Aetiologie der Tuberculose"
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729:Reviews of Infectious Diseases
725:"The Etiology of Tuberculosis"
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691:10.1016/j.nmni.2019.100622
193:, drawing highly accurate
160:. However, as her home in
71:descent, originating near
63:Hesse was born in 1850 in
32:Angelina Fanny Eilshemius,
790:American women scientists
611:Hydrocolloid Applications
377:Hesse, Wolfgang (1992).
59:Early life and childhood
547:Journal of Bacteriology
38:alongside her husband,
795:German microbiologists
279:, ability to maintain
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172:Research contributions
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800:Women microbiologists
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177:Laboratory assistance
164:was destroyed during
103:Later life and family
46:as an alternative to
23:Fanny Hesse, ca. 1883
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289:Julius Richard Petri
187:medical technologist
763:2015-02-04 at the
521:Microbiology Today
512:Mortimer, Philip.
236:was preferable to
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202:Suggestion of agar
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146:inheritance
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779:Categories
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639:: 221–230.
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476:2024-05-20
395:2015-02-03
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212:agar plate
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658:. p. 15.
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281:sterility
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414:LadyBits
326:See also
130:painting
307:bacilli
285:plating
277:enzymes
262:jellies
250:seaweed
238:gelatin
162:Dresden
150:pension
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69:Dutch
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234:agar
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
