The
petri dish, which is a small glass or plastic container used for growing
bacteria and other microorganisms, was named after German bacteriologist Julius
R. Petri (1852-1921).
Julius
R. Petri (1852-1921), a German bacteriologist, invented the first petri dish.
He used this shallow, circular glass dish with a loose-fitting cover to culture
bacteria and other microorganisms. Then, in the mid 1960’s injection moulding
technology sufficiently developed so that petri dishes could be manufactured
out of clear polystyrene plastic. These dishes were merely clones of the first,
glass petri dish. They were large, heavy and over-constructed. In fact, they
were almost twice the weight of most conventional plastic petri dishes
manufactured today.
The first
plastic dishes were inexpensive as crude oil and its by-products were cheap
commodities. However, in the mid-1970's, the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) took advantage of shifting market conditions, and
the geopolitical and economic disruptions in the Middle East which caused the
price of petroleum-based products to skyrocket.
As the supply of
polystyrene became restricted, the price started to soar; as a result, the cost
of plastic petri dishes also escalated. Customer-pressure then forced petri
dish manufacturers to cut back on the excess size and weight of the petri
dishes to reduce cost. The 25-gram "DINOSAUR" petri dishes became
extinct.
In the mid-80’s,
further development in raw material and a better understanding of the injection
moulding process, allowed most manufacturers to reduce the weight of their
petri dishes to the 15 to 17 grams range. The Petri dish remains largely unchanged
and has become an industry standard.
Posted by Tim Sandle
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