I earned my doctorate in the department of microbiology at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, where antibiotics were the focus of interest. The chairman of the department was Selman A. Waksman. He was the first to identify the group of bacteria known as actinomycetes as a major source of antibiotics important in industry and medicine. Along with his associates at Rutgers, Waksman discovered an impressive array of actinomycete antibiotics, the most noteworthy of which are actinomycin, neomycin and streptomycin. His many contributions to microbiology did not go without recognition. In 1952, just after I had completed my graduate work and departed the United States for two years in Great Britain as a postdoctoral fellow, Waksman received the Nobel prize.
Because he was a colorful personality, Waksman is the subject of numerous stories. He had a somewhat disheveled appearance, an unhurried gait and a Russian accent. This toasty-warm, grandfatherly ...
