Virus and over interpretation

[Geoff Read]

> Beijerinck, who is one of THE founding figures in
> microbiology certainly did not know the nature of his "virus" (= poison).

Here we were interested in tracing back to the development of a link
between the Latin word for poison and our current word "viruses", not in
who discovered what a virus was. Possibly the word virus still could be
used at the time for any mystery poisonous substance.  But I assume
subsequently this meaning faded as it became increasingly obvious virus
preparations, sensu Beijerinck, whatever they were, were big news in
science.




--
  Geoff Read <g.read at niwa.cri.nz>