author
H. W. (Herbert William) Conn
1859–1917
A pioneering American bacteriologist and teacher, remembered for bringing the new science of microbes to general readers as well as students. His books helped explain everyday subjects like bacteria, health, milk, and sanitation in clear, practical language.
2 Audiobooks
The Story of Germ Life
by H. W. (Herbert William) Conn
About the author
Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in 1859, Herbert William Conn became an important early American bacteriologist, zoologist, and educator. He studied at Boston University and earned his doctorate at Johns Hopkins, then went on to teach biology at Wesleyan University, where he spent most of his career.
Conn wrote widely for both specialists and general readers, with books on bacteriology, evolution, heredity, and life in the sea. He is especially notable for helping introduce microbiology to a broader public at a time when the subject was still new, and for linking scientific research to practical questions of health and food safety.
He died in 1917, but his work still reflects a moment when modern biology was taking shape and scientists were learning how to explain that changing world to ordinary readers.