In article <asslo3$k1i$1 at helle.btinternet.com>,
"Graham Shepherd" <muhero.nospam at globalnet.co.uk> wrote:
> "JEDilworth" <bactitech at nospamhortonsbay.com> wrote in message
> news:3DF032F9.F5D7E62D at nospamhortonsbay.com...> <snip>
> >
> > We make virtually no media nowadays, as there just isn't time. In the
> > olden days we had ladies in our "kitchen" who would wash out all the
> > tubes after autoclaving and then we would recycle everything. Sadly that
> > is not done any more. It seems like a waste, but hospitals would rather
> > buy everything than pay benefits to anyone to make the stuff. It seems
> > pretty dumb to me.
> >
> > Judy Dilworth, M.T. (ASCP)
> > Microbiology
>> When I started in microbiology, the kitchen was where everybody began -
> media prep, plugging pasteur pipettes, cleaning glassware, sterilising
> equipment and autoclaving waste from the banches. I remember the messiest
> medium was Robertson's meat broth (mostly used for blood cultures then) and
> the worst was Stuart's transport medium (the smell is still with me decades
> later).
>> It seems only microbiologists use the term "kitchen" - I haven't found
> anyone from other lab disciplines who use the term.
>> GS
>>
I strongly dislike the word "kitchen". I've been involved in media
preparation for many years. I manage a laboratory using state-of-the-art
autoclaves, balances, laminar flow hoods, pH meters, plate pouring
equipment, digital dispensing pumps, and other sophisticated
instrumentation. We make culture media to suppot the growth of organisms
in the largest culture collection in the world. Our media/reagent
formulary is currently at 3500 items and growing. I make it a point of
correcting people when they refer to my laboratory as a "kitchen".
With a smile.....
Martin Gross
Technical Manager
Culture Media Prep and Cryopreservation
American Type Culture Collection
Manassas, VA
mgross at atcc.org
