Alfred Theodore MacConkey (1861-17 May 1931) was the British bacteriologist who developed MacConkey's agar, a selective medium that is used in the diagnosis of enteric pathogens. He was born McConkey but appears to have spelled his name "MacConkey" from at least 1881 and in all his published papers

Early life and education

MacConkey was the youngest of six children born to

West Derby West Derby ( ) is an affluent suburb of Liverpool, England. It is located East of the city and is also a Liverpool City Council ward. At the 2011 Census, the population was 14,382. History West Derby Mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'', West ...

minister Andrew McConkey and wife Margaret. He matriculated at

Liverpool Collegiate Institution Liverpool Collegiate School was an all-boys grammar school, later a comprehensive school, in the Everton, Liverpool, Everton area of Liverpool. Foundations The Collegiate is a striking, Grade II listed building, with a facade of pink Woolton sa ...

in 1880, studied Natural Sciences at

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

and Medicine at

Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...

, completing his studies in 1889.

Medical practice and early scientific career

He initially went into private practice at Beckenham, Kent, but after illness decided to specialize in bacteriology, joining the

Bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...

department at

in 1897. This is where he started to develop the culture medium that bears his name. His contemporaries included

Herbert Durham Herbert Durham DSc (Cantab), MB, BC, FRCS, ARPS (30 March 1866 – 25 October 1945) was a British physician and distinguished scientist. Early life Herbert Edward Durham was born 30 March 1866, the son of Arthur E. Durham, Senior Surgeon to Guy ...

Liverpool and the Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal

In 1899 he became an assistant bacteriologist serving the

Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal was established by the British government in 1898 to report on: (1) What method or methods of treating and disposing of sewage (including any liquid from any factory, or manu ...

in Liverpool under

Rubert Boyce Sir Rubert William Boyce Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (22 April 1863 – 16 June 1911) was an English pathologist and hygienist, known for his work on tropical medicine. Early life Born on 22 April 1863 at Osborne Terrace, Clapham Road, Lon ...

University College, Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

. He continued working on the medium. He mainly published single-author papers but would credit Liverpool contemporaries such as

Harriette Chick Dame Harriette Chick DBE (6 January 1875 – 9 July 1977) was a British microbiologist, protein scientist and nutritionist. She is best remembered for demonstrating the roles of sunlight and cod liver oil in preventing rickets. Biography ...

for advice.

Lister Institute

In 1901 he married Henrietta Dixon and transferred to the

Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, informally known as the Lister Institute, was established as a research institute (the British Institute of Preventive Medicine) in 1891, with bacteriologist Marc Armand Ruffer as its first director, us ...

where the work on the medium was completed with suggestions from the Liverpool laboratory for the inclusion of neutral red and crystal violet. In 1906 he became responsible for the Serum Department and was heavily involved in production of antiserum for both

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

and

tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...

, the latter being especially important for treatment of battlefield injuries during the First World War. He succeeded, as requested, in making the department profitable although some questioned his authoritarian management style.Chick, H., Hume, M., & Macfarlane, M. (1971). War on disease: a history of the Lister Institute. London: Deutsch.

Death

MacConkey retired in 1926 and died childless in 1931 at Brindley Heath, Surrey. His estate of £11,485 was left first for the use of his wife, unless she became or married a Roman Catholic, and residuary of his estate used for annuities for "needy gentlewomen not belonging to the Roman Catholic faith."

References

1861 births 1931 deaths British microbiologists {{UK-scientist-stub