On the Way to a Definition of the Virus

Abstract

In 1935 when Stanley presented his crystalline autocatalytic protein to the scientific community, the reaction was surprisingly not entirely antipathetic. He met with great interest, even approval, in those branches of science were potentially able to incorporate protein crystals into their own theoretical reasoning. Proteins were at that time the primary substance of living cells¹. A crystallized protein was for biochemical purposes a pure protein; thus scientists considered the crystallized TMV protein to be a pathogenetic molecule, perhaps even a “ferment”. This broadened concept of chemical molecules as pathogens also met with support from medical scientists, as was evidenced on February 6, 1941, when Stanley was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Institute in New York. It was Rivers who conferred the honour and the tenor of his text recalled the distinction bestowed by the Journal of the American Medical Association upon Vinson and Petre for their achievement in the same field no less than 9 years earlier.