Providential Direction and Hans Gram

Outside of medical science, most people have probably not heard of Hans Christian Gram. He was important in microbiology, especially in the development of stains used in slides. Cytoplasm is the clear gel-like stuff within cells and outside the nucleus, but it is clear.

The cell was considered simple at one time, but it is actually an amazing example of specified complexity. Through a series of providential events, Gram found a way to make the identification of pneumonia bacteria both observable and identifiable.

Streptococcus Pneumonia in tissue, Flickr / Albaraa Mehdar (CC BY-NC 2.0)

At the time of Hans Gram's discovery, a great deal was happening in the advancement of medical science. Work had been done to put stains on slides for microscope work, but finding the right ones for pneumonia bacteria was elusive. The discovery looked like an accident with a touch of serendipity involved, and it may cause one to think of Alexander Fleming's work with penicillin. (A Gram stain requires several steps that must be carefully followed.) Events may appear to be dumb luck, but God has led people to benefit humanity through seemingly chance events.

This paper honors Hans Christian Joachim Gram. In published papers, he simply identified as Christian Gram. Gram devised a staining technique that is still used to identify and classify different types of bacteria. . . . His discovery is of great use in the identification and classification of bacteria, especially for pathogens of infectious diseases. It is also useful in deciding how to treat infections since some antibiotics are active only against gram-positive bacteria and others against gram-negative bacteria.

The entire paper has a substantial amount of biology in it, so those with science knowledge would be most likely to gain the most. The rest of us can learn some things as well. To read it, visit "The Directed Steps of Hans Christian Gram."