Heddleson Reaction

Huddleson, John Francis (eng. John Francis Huddleson; October 27, 1854, Ripley, Massachusetts - November 10, 1924, Boston) - American bacteriologist, member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Heddleson was born in Reedley, Massachusetts in 1854. He received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1876 and his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1880. From 1881 to 1883 he worked at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, where he studied microorganisms. In 1889, he returned to the United States and began working in the laboratory of John Simon at Harvard Medical School.

In 1891, Heddleson discovered a reaction that allows one to determine whether a test liquid contains thioacetamide. This discovery was an important step in the development of methods for determining the presence of microorganisms in food products. He also studied bacteria that cause diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria and syphilis.

In addition, Heddleson was a founding member of the American Society for Microbiology and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 1903 and continued to work in the field of microbiology until the end of his life.

The Heddleson reaction is a method for studying the activity of microorganisms on a solid medium, proposed by the American bacteriologist James Francis Heddleson in 1926.

Heddleson discovered that some microorganisms grow in colonies on solid media and that their growth can be controlled by changing environmental conditions. He proposed using this method to study the activity of various microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi and viruses.

To carry out the Heddleson Reaction, a solid nutrient medium is used on which microorganisms grow. This medium is then coated with various chemicals that can influence the growth of microorganisms. For example, antibiotics or other chemicals that can inhibit or stimulate the growth of microorganisms can be added.

After applying the chemicals to the solid culture medium, it is left for several days to observe the growth of microorganisms. If the growth of microorganisms increases or decreases depending on the addition of a chemical, then this means that the chemical affects the activity of microorganisms.

The Heddleson Reaction method is widely used in microbiology to study the effect of various chemical compounds on microorganisms, as well as to determine the sensitivity of microorganisms to antibiotics and other drugs.