CT Valley Branch ASM
History. The first 25 years.

 
 
 
 

 

 
THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY BRANCH, ASM
THE FIRST TWENTY FIVE YEARS
Gleanings from the Archives
by Arthur R. Bruce, Branch Archivist
April 1998


The organizational meeting of the Connecticut Branch of the Society of American Bacteriologists (S.A.B.) was held November 3, 1922 at Kirtland Hall, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The meeting was organized by Ira Hiscock, Walter Kulp, and J. R. McClelland, who served as the temporary committee. All were from Yale at the time. The first order of business was the election of officers with nomination from the floor. Elected as the first President was Professor Leo F. Rettger of Yale. Elected as Vice-President was Dr. F. G. Blake of Yale. The first Secretary-Treasurer was J. R. McClelland. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to procedural matters such as future meetings, meeting programs, the number of meetings, membership eligibility and dues. With respect to meetings, it was decided to hold three per year with the content to be reports of work in progress and an occasional address by an invited speaker. Professor Rettger gave a brief talk on the "Aims and History of the S.A.B." In the interval between this meeting and the next in early 1923, the branch was notified of its acceptance as a branch of the S.A.B.

At the next meeting in March 1923, President Rettger suggested that an invitation be extended to the S.A.B. to hold its - twenty-fifth anniversary meeting in New Haven, the site of the first S.A.B. meeting. For the year 1922-23, membership consisted of 31 members and 21 associate members. The first program of scientific reports was presented and was as follows:

  • "A New Antigen for Use in the Wasserman Reaction." E. S. Sanderson, Yale School of Medicine.
  • "A Successful Method for the Isolation of Diphtheria Bacilli from Mixed Cultures." Anna I. Van Saun, Department of Health, New Haven, CT.
  • "Producing a Bacteriological Clean Bottle of Milk." A. H. Bayer, New Haven (CT) Dairy Company.
  • "The Fate of Baker's Yeast in the Intestine of Man and the White Rat." L. F. Rettger and J. G. McAlpine, Yale University.
  • "Studies on Certain Electrical Properties of Bacteria" (Demonstration of Apparatus) C. E. A. Winslow and I. S. Falk, Yale School of Medicine.

The program of the second scientific meeting of the branch, held on April 27, 1923 included the following presentations:

  • "Bacteria as Sources of Vitamins." E. J. Slanetz, Connecticut Agricultural College (now the University of Connecticut), Storrs, CT.
  • "The Alteration in Virulence and Agglutination Reaction of the Pneumococcus Induced by Growth in Immune Serum" F. G. Blake and J. D. Trask, Jr., Yale School of Medicine
  • "Studies on the Wildbolz Auto-urine Reaction" J. J. Enright and L. F. Rettger, Yale University.
  • "Measuring the Buffering Powers of Bacteria by a Titration Method." H. G. Shaughnessy and I. S. Falk, Yale University.
  • "Thermal Death Points of B. acildophilus and Streptococcus lactis." C. A. Slanetz, Connecticut Agricultural College.
  • "Non-specific Stimulation of the Normal Bactericidal Action" G. H. Smith, Yale University.
  • "Note on Cellulose-decomposing Bacteria" Leon A. Bradley, Yale University.

In the Secretary's Report for 1923-24 it was noted that, in addition to the scientific papers presented, there was one address by Dr. John W. Churchman on the subject of Dye Therapy. The twenty-fifth annual S.A.B. meeting was held in New Haven in late December 1923. The local committee was chaired by Professor Winslow. The Secretary reported that membership retention was a problem with numbers dropping to 24 members and 15 associate members. Quoting the Secretary "The failure of the branch to hold its members is difficult to understand, unless it is admitted that the type of program has failed to interest some of our members." (Some things never change, ed.) Of interest was the program announcement for the May 1924 meeting which indicated that the evening meal was to cost no more than 50 cents.

The Secretary reported that three meetings were held in 1924-25, two being scientific presentations and the third an address by Professor Marshall of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now the University of Massachusetts) on "The Outlook in Agricultural Microbiology". Attendance at two of the meetings was about thirty persons. A concern was expressed by the Secretary relative to obtaining titles of papers in a timely fashion.

From 19257-27 there were only two meetings, one in October 1925 which was preceded by a visit to the laboratories of the Connecticut Agricultural College and the other, in March 1926, was preceded by a tour of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. Membership, dues payments, and slow response to calls for papers remained topics for concern. The Secretary noted that at its founding the Connecticut Branch wanted papers and discussion of work in progress, but most members seemed to feel that only work nearly ready for publication was the only work desired.

Little information concerning activities from 1928-31 is available. In 1928 there is a program announcement for a May meeting with four papers presented. In November 1928 there was a joint meeting with the Yale Medical Society. The speaker for that program was Dr. Philip Hadley speaking on filterable forms of bacteria. In January 1929 the meeting had as its principal speaker, Dr. F. D'Herelle whose subject was "Bacteriophage in Relation to Cholera Epidemics. In 1930 there was a meeting in February with four papers presented. A handwritten Secretary's report indicated that a meeting was held in May 1931 with the presentation of a number of scientific papers. In 1932 a Spring meeting was held.

In the Secretary's report for 1933, it was indicated that a committee was appointed to study the advisability of extending the branch area to include the entire Connecticut River Valley. At the May 1933 meeting the committee recommended that the branch territory be extended to include the lower Connecticut River Valley. 1933 marked the renewal of Fall Meetings with the presentation of six scientific papers. In 1934 the branch name was changed from the Connecticut Branch to the Connecticut Valley Branch. In 1934 the Spring Meeting was held at the Massachusetts State College in Amherst sixty-nine persons in attendance. This was the first foray into the new branch territory which included Smith College, Massachusetts State College, and the Massachusetts Experiment Station. At the fall meeting at Yale about fifty people were in attendance. At that meeting Dr. George Valley, on behalf of the friends and students of Professor Leo F. Rettger, presented a portrait of Professor Rettger to Yale University.

In 1935 two meetings were held, in the Spring the meeting was at Wesleyan in Middletown, CT, while the Fall Meeting was held at Yale. In 1936 the Spring meeting was held in Storrs. At the business meeting, concern was expressed that the meeting agendas were more crowded because there were more papers available for presentation. It was pointed out that in earlier years that the annual business meetings were held in the fall. It was proposed that the annual business meeting be held in the fall and that the 1936 business meeting be postponed until November. The Fall Meeting was held at Yale and at that time there was discussion as to when the Councilor's term should begin. This question was raised again at the 1937 Spring Meeting. Professor Rettger indicated that the term of office should coincide with the term of office of the S.A.B. which was January 1. At the full business meeting the Councillor was elected to a two year term.

In 1938 the Spring Meeting was held at Wesleyan with six scientific papers presented and sixty-nine persons in attendance. The Treasurer's report for 1937 which was read at the 1938 Fall Meeting showed a balance of $21.04 after the Fall meeting with expenditures of $15.82 and income of $15.00 in dues, $1.68 in the bank, and $0.27 in postage on hand. The Fall Meeting for 1938 was held at Yale. At that meeting it was reported that the bacteriologists at Brown University in Providence were invited to join the Connecticut Valley Branch. It was at this meeting that the branch assumed the responsibilities for the forty-first General Meeting of the S.A.B. to be held in New Haven in December 1939. The following were elected to serve as the local committee: Stanhope Bayne-Jones, Chairman; Francis G. Blake; Leon Bradley; Philip B. Cowles; James E. Fuller, Elizabeth; Genung; George W. Hunter III; Erwin Jungherr; Walter L. Kulp; Friend Lee Mickle; John R. Paul; W. H. Plastridge; Leo F. Rettger; L. W. Slanetz; George H. Smith; James D. Trask; George Valley; and C. E. A. Winslow.

The Spring Meeting of 1939 was held at Smith College with sixtyfive persons present and five papers presented. The Fall Meeting was held in October Reports on the preparations for the National Meeting were given At the Spring Meeting of 1940, a report on the National Meeting was made. from the account of receipts and expenditures, three hundred fifty-two banquet meals were served. The following is a condensed summary of receipts and expenditures for the meeting:

 

Expenditures

Receipts

Deficit

Scientific meetings/Registration

$333.04

$296.90

$36.14

Exhibits

239.01

198.03

40.98

Banquet

851.95

678.00

173.95

President's Reception

178.58

-

178.58

Teas

71.10

-

71.10

TOTALS

1673.68

1172.93

500.75

Individual Contributions

 

274.50

 

Total Receipts

 

1447.43

 

Final Deficit to be met by S.A.B.

 

 

226.25

(Editorial Note: Oh to be able to fund a Regional Meeting at these dollar values!)

At this meeting there was also discussion concerning the invitation of outstanding speakers to address the Branch on certain occasions and members were asked to suggest speakers. At the Fall Meeting of 1940 held at Yale seventy persons were in attendance. Dr. Lawrence Slanetz extended an invitation to hold the Spring Meeting of 1941 in Durham, NH in conjunction with the seventy-fifth anniversary celebration of the University of New Hampshire.

The Spring Meeting of 1941 was a two day meeting at the University of New Hampshire. The Eastern New York and the New York City Branches and the Boston Bacteriological Club were also invited to participate (The first attempt at regional meetings, ed.) A joint dinner was held with the New Hampshire Veterinary and Dental Societies. The Fall Meeting was held at Yale with about eighty members present and six papers presented.

The Spring Meeting in 1942 was held at the University of Connecticut. Seven papers were presented and seventy-five members were present. The Fall Meeting was held at Yale with forty members present and five papers presented. There was discussion concerning the National Meeting scheduled for Montreal and whether or not winter meetings were advisable.

In 1943 there was a Fall Meeting held at Yale. Five papers were presented. For the past three years the Branch ran at a loss. The question was raised with respect to whether or not there should be a dues increase. The membership voted to keep the dues the same and that the Secretary should handle the situation in any feasible manner. The Montreal National Meeting was canceled, but there was a proposal to have a May meeting in New York.

It appears that there were no meetings in 1944 due to transportation difficulties resulting from World War II. The 1945 Spring Meeting was held at Yale with four papers presented. A fifth paper was scheduled, but was recalled by the War Council on Medical Research. Forty-one members were present. The Fall Meeting was held at Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, CT with 97 persons present. Three papers were presented and were followed by a panel discussion of the Salmonella group. The discussion was moderated by Earl K. Borman of the Connecticut Department of Health Laboratories. Dr. F. Kaufmann (The Kaufmann-White Scheme for Salmonella Grouping, ed.), Dr. Leo F. Rettger, Dr. Charles Stuart, Dr. Van Rochel, and Dr. Burgdorf were the panelists.

The Spring Meeting of 1946 was held at Smith College, Northampton. Discussion took place concerning the timing of the National Meeting. The majority of those present were in favor of a May meeting rather than a Fall or Christmas meeting. Two scientific sessions took place. one was on antibiotics with George Valley and the other was on the physiology and biochemistry of microorganisms. The Fall Meeting was held at Yale with about thirty-five persons present. With the election of Dr. Atkins of Dartmouth, the branch expanded its horizons further up the Connecticut River Valley. Five papers were presented ass was a short discussion of atomic bombs by Dr. Millard Knowlton.

The Spring Meeting of 1947 was held at the University of Connecticut with about ninety-five persons present. Six scientific papers were presented. At an evening session, Dr. John Hanks of the American Leprosy Foundation of the Leonard Wood Memorial, Harvard Medical School spoke on "Bacteriological Studies in Leprosy" based on work on Culeon Island in the Philippines. Following his talk, Mrs. Hanks spoke briefly on their life in occupied Japanese territory during the war. The Fall Meeting was held at Yale with about seventy members in attendance and with six papers presented. In the Councilor's Report was mention of the possibility of the formation of a new branch of the S.A.B. to benefit New Englanders in Massachusetts and those further North. A committee to study the by-laws for possible revision was to be appointed by the incoming President. With this meeting the Connecticut Valley Branch completed its twenty-fifth year.

Editor's Note: To complete this segment of branch history, I feel that Professor Rettger's Presidential Address to the Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the S.A.B. in 1917 should be included as published in the Journal of Bacteriology, 1918, 3:103-113.






The Connecticut Valley Branch is affiliated with and supported by The American Society for Microbiology.

This webpage was designed and authored by CT Valley Branch ASM, which is fully responsible for its contents. Please send comments or corrections to Tom Terry. This page was last updated Tuesday, September 28, 1999.

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