Aniline Dyes — Their Impact on Biology 

 and Medicine 1 



By Morris C. Leikind 



Medical Historian and Archivist 

 Armed Forces Institute of Pathology 



The tear 1956 marked a centennial significant not only in the his- 

 tory of chemistry and chemical technology, but in the history of 

 biology and medicine as well. It was just 100 years ago that an 

 English schoolboy, aged 18, made the first aniline dye. 



The repercussions of this discovery were felt in the fields of chem- 

 istry and chemical technology, in the textile industry and in fashion 

 salons, and also in agriculture, in coal mines, in banks and counting- 

 houses, in legislative halls, and in the foreign offices of governments. 

 Last but not least, the coal-tar dyes had an impact on biology and 

 medicine that was as unexpected as it was significant. 



Before reviewing the influence of aniline dyes upon the growth and 

 development of the life sciences during the past hundred years, it 

 seems not only appropriate but even necessary to recall briefly the 

 life and work of William Henry Perkin. Although he has been dead 

 scarcely half a century, few among the present generation of biolo- 

 gists and medical men know who he was, and fewer of the many who 

 use biological stains and administer wonder drugs know anything of 

 the man who made them possible. 



William Henry Perkin was born in London on March 12, 1838. He 

 was the youngest son of George Fowler Perkin, a builder and con- 

 tractor of moderate means. William's education began in a private 

 school. His father wanted him to become an architect, a wish en- 

 couraged by the fact that the boy liked to draw and often copied 

 plans for his parent. 



1 Read at the Perkin Centennial, 1856-1956, commemorating the discovery of 

 aniline dyes, held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, during the 

 week of September 10, 1956. Sponsored by the American Association of Tex- 

 tile Chemists and Colorists. 



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