The newest of ASM's Milestones in Microbiology,  the site of the former Laboratory of Hygiene  at the University of Pennsylvania, was  commemorated in a ceremony held before the ASM General Meeting in Philadelphia. The  building itself was a sophisticated design built in  1892 specifically for the study of bacteriology  and was the first of its kind in the United States.  It was home to many early bacteriologists, including  ASM founder Alexander C. Abbott and  David H. Bergey, who worked on his famous  Manual of Determinative Bacteriology here.  ASM placed a commemorative plaque on the  site, which now houses the modern Vagelos  Laboratories.    

ASM President Alison O'Brien represented  ASM at the unveiling of the Milestones plaque.  "On behalf of the ASM, I am pleased to designate  this as our third Milestone in Microbiology  site, with the hope that future generations  will not only remember but also continue to  be inspired by the work that was done here,"  she said.    

The Laboratory of Hygiene was designed  specifically for the study of hygiene and bacteriology  and had state-of-the-art heating  and ventilating systems that illustrated scientific  principles as well as protected those  working with pathogenic bacteria. The Laboratory  was one of only about 10 such facilities  in the world when it was opened, and the  first of its kind in the United States. It was  intended not to mimic European models but  to marry those models to the U.S. ideas of  practical laboratory hands-on education.    

The first official course in bacteriology began  the day the building opened and became  so popular that eventually the entire medical  school class was required to take it. In addition,  dental, veterinary, engineering, and natural  science students received instruction in  public health and bacteriology in this special  building.    

Director of the Lab Alexander Abbott was  soon joined by David H. Bergey, who enrolled in  the bacteriology course, subsequently taught  bacteriology, and eventually succeeded Abbott  as Director of the Lab. It was here that he  completed the first edition of his classic Bergey's  Manual of Determinative Bacteriology in 1923,  which was originally published by ASM, then  the Society of American Bacteriologists. Now  published by the Bergey's Manual Trust, it has  become a widely used international reference  work for bacterial taxonomy.    

The original building gave way in the 1990s  to the Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, a  state-of-the-art facility which continues the tradition  of scientific excellence and progressive  research methods established on this site more  than 117 years ago.    

Milestones in Microbiology is a joint project  of the ASM Communications and Archives  Committees. Previously designated Milestones  sites are Selman Waksman's laboratory at Rutgers  University and the Hopkins Marine Station  in Monterey, Calif., for 32 years the site of C. B.  van Neil's summer course in General Microbiology,  attended by many scientists, including  Nobel laureates, from diverse disciplines.