Bacteriophagy was discovered by the French scientist D'Herelle in 1917.
According to D'Herelle's view of the bacteriophage as a living body, its main features are as follows: (1) It is capable of bringing about profound changes in the microbial cell leading to its entire dissolution; (2) it is capable of propagation while affecting bacteria and (3) it can exert its action in the presence of a living cell.
D'Herelle's phenomenon is detected by microscopic examination of cultures on nutritive mediums.
On fluid mediums bacteriologic cultures become clear in eight hours after inoculation in the presence of a phage.
On solid nutritive mediums the bacteriophage is detected by the formation of so-called sterile spots (taches vierges), or "negative" colonies. For this purpose the tested filtrate and the culture are mixed and then inoculated in agar cups at various intervals. In from eighteen to twenty-four hours at 37 C. either incomplete growth
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