A brief history of the Biological Stain Commission: its founders, its mission and the first 75 years.
The need for batch-to-batch consistency in available dyes and stains used for biological purposes posed a considerable problem for United States scientists following World War I. Prior to that time, most of the acceptable stains in this country were of German origin. In an attempt to standardize the performance of biological stains and dyes, the Society of American Bacteriologists in 1922 appointed Dr. Harold Conn to form the Committee on the Standardization of Biological Stains. To assist him, Dr. Conn recruited scientists from several major professional scientific societies. Mr. Rolland Will, a Rochester, NY, vendor of stains, was also instrumental in the Committee's success. This article traces the origin, mission and accomplishments of the product of that Committee, the Biological Stain Commission, through the past 75 years, and focuses on some of the major events that influenced and shaped its development.
Penney
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Biological Stain Commission, Inc., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York 14642-0001, USA. david_penney@urmc.rochester.edu
D000818:Animals; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000266:history* / Q000592:standards; D006652:Histological Techniques / Q000266:history / Q000592:standards; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D012958:Societies, Scientific / Q000266:history*; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000266:history / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States
D004396:Coloring Agents