German physician and bacteriologist

Richard Julius Petri's prominence in the microbiology community is due primarily to his invention of the growth container that bears his name. The Petri dish has allowed the growth of bacteria on solid surfaces under sterile conditions.

Petri was born in the German city of Barmen. Following his elementary and high school education he embarked on training as a physician. He was enrolled at the Kaiser Wilhelm-Akademie for military physicians from 1871 to 1875. He then undertook doctoral training as a subordinate physician at the Berlin Charité. He received his doctorate in medicine in 1876.

From 1876 until 1882 Petri practiced as a military physician. Also, during this period, from 1877 to 1879, he was assigned to a research facility called the Kaiserliches Gesundheitsamt. There, he served as the...