André Gratia (1893–1950): Forgotten Pioneer of Research into Antimicrobial Agents

Bigwood EJ . The discovery of antibiotics and penicillin in particular. JAMA 1945; 128: 461–2

Gratia A. Concerning the theories of the so-called “bacteriophage”. BMJ 1922; ii: 296–7

Gratia A Dath S. De Taction bacteriolytiques des streptothrix. Compt Rend Soc Biol 1924; 91: 1442–3

Gratia A Alexander J. Sur la “mycolyse” par le streptothrix. Compt Rend Soc Biol 1931; 106: 1288–9

Gratia A. La dissolution des bactéries et ses applications thérapeutiques. Bull Acad R Méd Belg, 19 May 1934: 285–95

Brunei J. Antibiosis from Pasteur to Fleming. J Hist Med. 1951; 6: 287–90

Wainwright M. Besredka's “antivirus” in relation to Fleming's initial views on the nature of penicillin. Med Hist 1990; 34: 79–85

Welsch M. Bactericidal substances from sterile culture media and bacterial cultures with special reference to bacteriolytic properties of actinomyces. J Bacteriol 1941; 42: 801–14

Fleming Notebook LX111, 16 November–21 May 1930. London: British Library

Anon. Gratia bacteriophage and antibiosis. BMJ 1949; i: 860–1

Gratia A Dath S. Moisissures et microbes bacteriophages. Comp Rend Soc Biol 1925; 92: 461–2

Wainwright M. Fleming did discover penicillin. Soc Gen Microbiol Q 1988; 15: 30–1

Fulton JF . Penicillin, plasma, fractionation and the physician. Atlantic Monthly, 1945: 107–14

Florey H. Letter from Florey to J F Fulton, 6 March 1946. Florey Archive (98HF, 289.3.42). London: Royal Society

Gratia A. Letter from Gratia to J F Fulton, 28 January 1946. Florey Archive (98HF 289.3.37). London: Royal Society

Twort A. In Focus, Out of Step. Stroud: Alan Sutton, 1993

Twort FW . An investigation on the nature of ultramicroscopic viruses. Lancet 1915; ii: 1241–3

D'Herelle F. Sur un microbe invisible antagoniste des bacilles dysentériques. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences 1917; 165: 373–5

Gratia A. Sur un remarquable example d'antagonism entre deux souches de colibacille. Compt Rend Soc Biol 1925; 93: 1040–1

Gratia A Fredericq P. Pluralité et complexité des “colicines”. VII Congrès Chim Biol Liège; Résumés des Commun 1946; 4: 2

Hardy K G . Colicinogeny and related phenomena. Bact Rev. 1975; 39: 464–515

James R Kleanthous C Moore GR . The biology of E. colicins: paradigms and paradoxes. Microbiology 1996; 142: 1569–80

Welsch M. Obituary. Gratia, A. (1893–1950). Rev Méd Liège 1950; 5: 735–8