Puck, Theodore T. (Theodore Thomas), 1916-2005

Genetics researcher who devised techniques for growing human cells in the laboratory and who helped determine the number of chromosomes in a gene. He was primarily known for his landmark studies in the 1950s in which he created the proper conditions in which human cells could grow and propagate in a petri dish. His incubating technique, called somatic cell genetics, is widely used and has been a considerable boon to biomedical research.

From the guide to the Theodore Puck papers, 1927-2004, (History of Medicine Division. National Library of Medicine)