Theodor Rosebury

Theodor Rosebury (10 August 1904 – 25 November 1976) was a British-born American bacteriologist and author. He has been called the “pre-eminent oral microbiologist of his era” and the “Grandfather of Modern Oral Microbiology”.

Early life Rosebury was born on 10 August 1904 in London.

He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1916 and attended the University of Pennsylvania (DDS, 1928).

Career

He was chief of the Airborne Infection project at Fort Detrick, Maryland, during World War II. He conducted research in Alaska with Leuman Maurice Waugh (1877–1972), a dentist, explorer, and lecturer. He was a professor at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. He later resided in Chicago. He ended his career as an Emeritus Professor of bacteriology at Washington University in St. Louis.

Later life and death After retirement, he dedicated himself to writing, cabinetmaking, and music, playing the flute.

He died at his home in Conway, Massachusetts, on 25 November 1976 at the age of 72.

Works Experimental Air-Borne Infection: Equipment and Methods for the Quantitative Study of Highly Infective Agents... / by T. Rosebury with the co-authorship and assistance of the staff of the laboratories of Camp Detrick, Maryland. Balt., Williams and Wilkins, 1947 bibl., illus. Theodor Rosebury and Elvin A. Kabat (1947), "Bacterial Warfare: A Critical Analysis of the Available Agents, Their Possible Military Applications, and the Means for Protection Against Them", Journal of Immunology 56, 1, (May 1947): pp 7–96. Peace or Pestilence? Biological Warfare and How to Avoid It (1949), New York City: McGraw-Hill. Microorganisms Indigenous to Man (1962), New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. Life on Man (1969), New York: The Viking Press. Microbes and Morals: The Strange Story of Venereal Disease (1971), New York: The Viking Press.

Accolades Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science Member, International Association for Dental Research Member, American Society for Microbiology Member, the Harvey Society Member, American Public Health Association Diplomate, American Academy of Microbiology