Dr. Anna Wessels Williams ( 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. Events January January 1 - Abraham Lincoln delivers the Emancipation Proclamation during the second year of the American Civil War. January 1 - The first claim under the Homestead Act is made for a farm in Nebraska January 8 - Ground is broken in Sacramento... 1863 - 1954 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). Events January events January 14 - The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator forming the American Motors Corporation January 14 - Marilyn Monroe weds Joe DiMaggio. January 15 - Mau Mau leader Waruhiu Itote is captured in... 1954) worked as a Microbiology (in Greek micron = small and biologia = studying life) is the study of microorganisms, including unicellular (single-celled) eukaryotes and prokaryotes, fungi, and viruses. Today, most of the work in microbiology is done using methods from biochemistry and genetics. It is also related to pathology, immunology, and epidemiology as many... bacteriologist at the first municipal diagnostic laboratory in the The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America¹, the States, or (archaically) Columbia — is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii... United States, helped develop the Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness characterized by sore throat, low-grade fever, and an adherent membrane of the tonsil(s), pharynx, and/or nose. A milder form of diphtheria can be limited to the skin. It is caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, an aerobic Gram-positive bacterium. Diphtheria is... diphtheria antitoxin and was the first woman to be elected chair of the laboratory section of the American Public Health Association.

Anna Wessels Williams was born in Map highlighting Hackensacks location within Bergen County. Inset: Bergen Countys location within New Jersey. Hackensack is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 42,677. It is the county seat of Bergen County6. The City... Hackensack, New Jersey, in 1863, to Jane Van Saun, and William Williams. In 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 20 - The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base. January 21 - The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is formed January 26 - Battle of Dogali: Abyssinian troops defeat Italians... 1887, her sister Millie became very ill during childbirth and, partly due to the inexperience of the person caring for her, lost her baby and almost died. Anna Williams decided that she would train as a physician to give herself more control in such terrible situations. That same year she enrolled in the Woman's Medical College of the New York Infirmary.

Williams graduated in 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). Events January 1 - Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany January 20 - James Hogg becomes the first native Texan to be governor of that state. January 29 - Liliuokalani proclaimed Queen of Hawaii March 3 - The International Copyright... 1891 and then stayed on as an instructor in pathology and hygiene. In 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). Events January 7 - W.K. Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film. January 8 - A fire at the Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago causes a good deal of damage. January 9 - New England Telephone and Telegraph... 1894, she volunteered at the New York City Department of Health's diagnostic laboratory, the first municipal laboratory in the United States, which opened in 1893. She worked closely with the director, William H. Park, M.D., on his projects to develop an An antitoxin is an antibody with the ability to neutralize a specific toxin. Antitoxins are produced by certain animals, plants, and bacteria. Although they are most effective in neutralizing toxins, they can kill bacteria and other microorganisms. Antitoxins are made within organisms, but can be injected into other organisms, including... antitoxin for Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness characterized by sore throat, low-grade fever, and an adherent membrane of the tonsil(s), pharynx, and/or nose. A milder form of diphtheria can be limited to the skin. It is caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, an aerobic Gram-positive bacterium. Diphtheria is... diphtheria. Early on in her first year of work she was able to isolate a strain of the dipptheria bacillus from a case of tonsillar diphtheria. The isolated strain was a crucial discovery in the development of an antitoxin for the disease, and by the autumn of that year physicians in New York were being issued with diphtheria antitoxin free of charge to help eradicate the disease amongst the poor. Williams and Park shared the credit for the discovery, named the Park-Williams strain, and Williams was appointed to a full-time staff position as assistant bacteriologist. Although Williams had made the discovery while Park was away on holiday, she recognized the collaborative nature of laboratory research and concluded in her retirement "I am happy to have the honor of having my name thus associated with Dr. Park."

In 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). Events January - April January 4 - Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. January 5 - An Austrian newspaper reports that Wilhelm Röntgen discovered a type of radiation later known as X-rays. January 12 - H... 1896 Williams traveled to the The Pasteur Institute (French: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, microorganisms, diseases and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, its founder and first director and who, in 1885 had successfully developed the first antirabies serum. It was founded in June... Pasteur Institute in The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. Paris is the capital city of France, as well as the capital of the Île-de-France région, whose territory encompasses Paris and its suburbs. The city of Paris proper is also a dé... Paris hoping to find a toxin for The group A streptococcus bacterium (Streptococcus pyogenes) is responsible for most cases of streptococcal illness. Other types (B, C, D, and G) may also cause infection. Group B streptococci cause most streptococcal infections in newborns and maternal post-labor/delivery infections. toxic shock syndrome necrotizing fasciitis the complications of streptococcal... scarlet fever that could be used to develop an antitoxin, as she had done for diphtheria. She was unsuccessful, but while there, she developed a new interest in the This article is about the infectious disease. For the 1989 album by industrial band Skinny Puppy, see Rabies (album). Rabies (from a Latin word meaning rage), is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in animals and people. It can affect most species of warm-blooded animal, but is rare... rabies work that was going on in Paris. She returned to the United States with a culture of the virus to try to develop a better way to diagnose rabies. By 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). Events January January 1 - New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. January 13 - Emile... 1898 the culture had been used to develop enough vaccine to allow for the large-scale production of rabies vaccine. In 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-March January 7 - The distress signal CQD is established only to be replaced two years later by SOS. February 7 - The Great Baltimore Fire in Baltimore, Maryland destroys over 1,500 buildings in... 1904, an Italian doctor, Adelchi Negri, published his study of the brain cell changes accompanying the disease, which Willaims had also been working on, and these newly discovered indicators were named Negri bodies. Williams developed a new and fast method for preparing and staining brain tissue to show the presence of Negri bodies. Her method surpassed the original test and became the model technique for the next thirty years. In 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). Events January January 6 - Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome (Casa dei Bambini in San Lorenzo). January 14 - An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than a 1,000... 1907, when the American Public Health Association established a committee on the standard methods for the diagnosis of rabies, they named Williams chair of the committee in recognition of her expertise.

In 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). Events January-April January 22 - Massacre of Russian demonstrators at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, one of the triggers of the abortive Russian Revolution of 1905. January 26 - The Cullinan Diamond is found near Pretoria, South Africa... 1905, Dr. Williams was named assistant director of the Department of Health laboratory where she had worked since 1894. She and Park continued to work together closely and that same year published their classic text Pathogenic Micro-organisms Including Bacteria and Protozoa: A Practical Manual for Students, Physicians and Health Officers which quickly became known simply as 'Park and Williams' by readers. By 1939 the publication had been reprinted in eleven editions. Over the next few years, she worked toward the better diagnosis and treatment of Sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), also known as sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), are diseases that are commonly transmitted between partners through some form of sexual activity, most commonly vaginal intercourse, oral sex, or anal sex. They were commonly known as venereal diseases (VD) until some time around 1990, when public health... venereal disease with Emily Dunning Barringer, M.D. and, in collaboration with S. Josephine Baker's Division of Child Hygiene, studied eye infections affecting the poorest children of New York City.

During Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. Battle aftermath. Remains of the Chateau Wood World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, the War of the Nations, and the War to End All Wars, was a world conflict occurring from 1914 to... World War I, Dr. Williams was appointed to a commission on Negatively stained flu virions. These were the causative agent of the Hong Kong Flu pandemic. Influenza (or as it is commonly known, the flu or the grippe) is a contagious disease caused by an RNA virus of the orthomyxoviridae family. It rapidly spreads around the world in seasonal epidemics, imposing... influenza and directed a training program at New York University (NYU) is a large research-oriented university in New York City, and is among the most prestigious post-secondary institutions in the United States. Its primary campus is in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. With a total enrollment of 38,188 (as of the fall of... New York University for the War Department, to train war workers for medical laboratories at home and overseas. She also researched the ways to diagnose Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes (meninges) covering the brain and the spinal cord. Although the most common causes are infection (either bacterial or viral), chemical agents and even tumor cells may cause meningitis. Encephalitis and brain abscess can complicate infective meningitis. Causative organisms Viruses are the most common cause... meningitis carriers in the military. In 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 2 - Canada and the United States agree on a plan to preserve Niagara Falls. January 9 - The Seeing Eye is established with the mission to train dogs to assist the blind ( Nashville, Tennessee... 1929, Williams and Park published Who's Who Among the Microbes, though to be one of the earliest books on the topic written for the public. She retired in 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-April January 1 - Alcatraz becomes a federal prison. January 7 - First Flash Gordon comic strip is published. January 10 - Execution of Marinus van der Lubbe January 24 - Einstein visits White House January 26 - The... 1934 at the age of 71.

Although the collaborative nature of laboratory work and especially her close association with Park may have prevented Dr. Williams from receiving greater recognition for her achievements, she was a well-respected scientist who played an integral role in the understanding and control of contagious diseases. In 1914 she was elected president of the Woman's Medical Society of New York. In 1931 she was elected to an office in the laboratory section of the American Public Health Association and the following year became the first woman appointed chair of the section. In 1936, the New York Women's Medical Society honored Dr. Williams for her services to the city at a testimonial dinner. In her acceptance speech, she thanked the colleagues she had worked with over the years, including many of the women who were building careers in bacteriology alongside her or under her own mentorship at the Department of Health.

Reference

• National Library of Medicine, Dr. Anna Wessles Williams Biography (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_331.html)