Vincent George Alder
George Alder, who was a member of the Hospital Infection Society in the 1980s, died on 20th February 2010 at the age of 97 years.
After leaving the army, he was appointed Chief Laboratory Technician at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and retired as a Top Grade Scientist in Microbiology in 1977. His interests were initially in staphylococcal virulence factors and cross-infection in surgical and maternity wards. However, he was mainly known for his work on sterilisation . He was the bacteriologist in the Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust Team which produced ’Sterilising Practices in Six Hospitals’, generally known as the ’yellow peril’,in 1958. This report showed the considerable number of deficiencies in hospital autoclaves at the time He was also responsible for the development of low temperature steam and formaldehyde for the sterilisation of heat-labile equipment, particularly endoscopes.
He obtained a B.Sc and PH.D for research and became a member of the Royal College of Pathologists for his published work.
