Infectious Hazards Of Bacteriological Techniques

Year Published: 1959

Creator: US Army Chemical Corps Biological Warfare Laboratories

Format: 16mm

Color: Color

Sound: sound

Description: This film shows how infectious bacteriological agents were handled at Ft. Detrick, Maryland in 1959. As Camp Detrick, it was designated a permanent installation for peacetime biological research and development shortly after World War II, a status confirmed in 1956, when the post became Fort Detrick. Its mandate was to continue its previous mission of biomedical research and its role as the world's leading research campus for biological agents requiring specialty containment. Poison warfare, in other words. This film was made for the purpose of illustrating safe lab practices, but lab techs are shown handling communicable bacteria without wearing masks or gloves, a practice which would not be in use today. It was filmed at Ft. Detrick by the US Army Chemical Corps Biological Warfare Laboratories, designated as film FG-382. The film is described as presenting “techniques used in the bacteriological laboratory, showing the dangers of infection in such operations and means of minimizing such dangers. Analyzes such techniques as streaking, plating pipetting, lyophilizing and reconstituting, blending and centrifuging cultures and using syringes."