User:Bfpage/sandbox/Bacterial stains

Staining bacterial cells for microscopic examination makes it possible to study their structures and characteristics. Structures such as cell size, the apparatus of motility, shape arrangement, and chemical properties. Staining is used to identify bacteria and in some instances will determine the cause of disease.

History
Hans Christian Gram (1853–1938) developed the gram staining technique. He was a Danish scientist and worked with Carl Friedländer in Berlin, Germany in the morgue of the city hospital in 1884. Gram's intent was to make bacteria more visible that were sampled from cadavers in the morgue. His original intent was not to create a method for the differential identification of bacteria. He observed that the typhus bacillus did not retain the stain if the specimen received addition applications of reagents. In 1884, he was able to publish his report documenting his observations.