GRAM STAINING
The Gram staining method devised more than a century ago was named after the Danish bacteriologist who originally devised it in 1844, Hans Christian Gram. It is undoubtedly one of the most important staining techniques in microbiology. Even today in this modern society with such high-tech methods of conducting research, we are still indebted to Gram for inventing the gram-staining method. In order to perform a gram stain, a person must smear a sample of bacteria on a slide, and soak it in a crystal violet dye and treat it with iodine. ... Both work, however, basic fuchsin stains many Gram-negative bacteria more intensely than does safranin, making them easier to see.