Hans Christian Gram: Google doodle on man who taught world how to stain bacteria

Hans Christian Gram is internationally renowned for the development of Gram stain.

Hans Christian Gram was a Danish bacteriologist who is widely renowned for the development of Gram staining or Gram's method to stain bacteria that is further helpful to distinguishing and classifying bacterial species into two large groups.

He was born on 14th September and Google is celebrating Hans Christian Gram's birth anniversary on September 13 with a very thoughtful Doodle.

The Doodle features everything, from Gram doing an experiment to a closer look focusing on his glasses, a microscope and finally, and most importantly, bacteria samples.

Gram stain is still one of the most common methods of staining and is almost always the first step in the preliminary identification of a bacterial organism. The fact that Hans Christian Gram's invention is still valuable after more than a century is enough to show how important and respected he is in his discipline.

When Gram published his method, he wrote, "I have therefore published the method, although I am aware that as yet it is very defective and imperfect; but it is hoped that also in the hands of other investigators it will turn out to be useful." Gram devised his technique, not for the purpose of distinguishing one type of bacterium from another but to make bacteria more visible in stained sections of lung tissue.

But the world found a use for the incredible invention that he had made and he still remains relevant on his 166th birth anniversary. Hans Christian Gram passed away on 14th November 1938.