BIOGRAPHICAL MEMORANDA 



sessed many captivating and inspiring traits that were not directly 

 associated with his scientific endeavour. These, however, fall outside 

 the scope of this paper ; nevertheless, those who have had the privi- 

 lege of knowing the Master personally will not lightly forget how much 

 they have benefited from their every encounter with him, and will 

 often be reminded of the treasures they have been permitted to add to 

 their experience. 



THE PROLOGUE 



In his inaugural address, reprinted in this volume, the newly appoint- 

 ed professor defended the thesis that some of the chemical activities of 

 micro-organisms might be used to advantage on a commercial scale 

 in order to supply the ever increasing need of an industrialized society 

 for various raw materials. In this manner he could justify the inclu- 

 sion of microbiology in the curriculum of the Technological Univer- 

 sity, and hence his own position. In accordance with precedent this 

 public lecture also embodied some plans for a special research pro- 

 gramme. But it must be admitted that these were extremely vague. 

 This is not difficult to understand; at that time Kluyver was by no 

 means an accomplished or experienced microbiologist. During his ten- 

 ure of the position as assistant to Professor G. van Iterson Jr., from 

 1910 till 1 9 16, he had, however, evinced a number of attributes that 

 had made his appointment to the chair which Beijerinck had been 

 compelled to vacate on account of having reached the age limit im- 

 posed by law, a sound 'calculated risk'. Some of these characteristics 

 can be appreciated from an examination of Kluyver's [19 14] major 

 publication prior to that date, the thesis on 'Biochemical Sugar Deter- 

 minations' which had earned him the degree of D. Sc. 'with distinction', 

 the only manner in which the Technological University, on granting 

 a degree, can express its recognition of superior merit. 



With the aid of a simple apparatus, somewhat modified after a 

 model originally designed by Van Iterson, he had demonstrated the 

 feasibility of accurately determining the amount of carbon dioxide 

 produced by yeasts during anaerobic incubation with sugar solutions. 

 And, because yeasts can be differentiated in part on the basis of the 

 particular sugars they can ferment, it seemed possible to use a number 

 of judiciously selected yeast types for the quantitative determination 

 of any one of a variety of sugars in mixtures of these substances. 



70 



