I've read that Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, was
known for creating "germ paintings." Supposedly he would paint
different types of bacteria onto a culture medium, and as the bacteria
grew they would produce vibrant colours thus revealing the image he
had painted. I'll soon be giving a lecture on antibiotics, and I would
like to obtain a few images of Fleming's "germ paintings." If anyone
can help me with this, I would be very appreciative!

---

Request for Question Clarification by crabcakes-ga on 16 Oct 2005 19:47 PDT

Hello Sokweman,


    I have been unable to locate any online photos's of Sir Alexander
Fleming's bacterial art! I have found other's examples, including a
reference to a book with photos of the "art".


   Here is what I have found. IF this is acceptable as an answer,
please let me know.

  ?Even in Fleming?s time this technique failed to receive much
attention or approval. Apparently he prepared a small exhibit of
bacterial art for a royal visit to St Mary?s by Queen Mary. The Queen
was ?not amused and hurried past it? even though it included a
patriotic rendition of the Union Jack in bacteria Maurois, 1959).
For those interested in seeing examples of Fleming?s efforts some are
reproduced on the endpapers of the Maurois biography.?

?Then he laid the blotting paper on the agar so that it might become
nutritive, after which he coloured his design with broths of the
appropriate cultures. All that remained was to put the blotting paper
into the incubator. As soon as the microbes developed, the picture
showed up in colour.? Some of the results of this technique were
apparently demonstrated by Fleming at the Second Congress of
Microbiology in 1936.?
http://www.sfam.org.uk/pdf/features/paintbugs.pdf


?Fleming was long a member of the  (Click link for more info and facts
about Chelsea Arts Club) Chelsea Arts Club, a private club for artists
of all genres, founded in 1891 at the suggestion of the painter 
(Click link for more info and facts about James McNeil Whistler) James
McNeil Whistler. Fleming was admitted to the club after he made "germ
paintings," in which he drew with a culture loop using spores of
highly pigmented bacteria. The bacteria were invisible while he
painted, but when cultured made bright colours.?
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/a/al/alexander_fleming.htm



    Who knew back in my microbiology internship, when I "wrote" Merry
Christmas with loopsful of E.coli onto a MacConkey plate that I was
repeating the great Fleming's artistic actions? (I'm sure countless
students have done so as well!)
Sincerely, Crabcakes