The Society for Applied Bacteriology The First Fifty Years

The major part of this history, the formative years, was compiled by the Society's Archivist entirely from original materials. As such it complements an earlier account of the Society's development (S.B. Thomas 1963 Journal of Applied Bacteriology 26 , 66–68). The other part of this article, the recent past, was compiled by the Honorary General Secretary from the minutes of the last 10 years of committee meetings. This bipartite approach gives emphasis to those features that have had a persistent influence on the evolution of the Society , the needs and interests of young microbiologists, an awareness that publications and meetings have to be tailored to meet the needs and aspirations of the membership, a respect for those who have given much to the Society, and a perception of trends, both national and international, in the development of applied bacteriology within the broader context of microbiology. The names of those who are or have been honorary officers and honorary members of the Society are given in the Appendix.