Images Dated 11th February 2003

William Rysdyks Hambletonian 1865, Father of the Trotting Horse. His employer, Seeley

William Rysdyk's Hambletonian 1865, Father of the Trotting Horse. His employer, Seeley, acquired a Charles Kent Mare, which had been permanently injured and was used only for breeding. Sired by Bellfounder, she was of Norfolk Trotter ancestry, a breed noted for its smooth gait. Seeley bred his mare to Abdullah, who was a grandson of Messenger, but a mean and ugly horse. The offspring of the Charles Kent Mare and Abdullah was a bay colt who was to be a keystone in the future of harness racing.
Rysdyk persuaded his employer to sell him the colt and named him Hambletonian. In all, Hambletonian was bred to some 1, 900 mares resulting in 1, 331 foals. Forty of these foals trotted the mile in less than 2 minutes 30 seconds. Among Hambletonian's many distinguished heirs were Dexter, Happy Medium, George Wilkes, Dictator, and Electioneer. The blood of Hambletonian is in most of today's distinguished trotters and pacers. The History of Horse Racing by Roger Longrigg, page 236

© 2003 Topham Picturepoint

False-colour TEM of Staphylococcus aureus

Coloured transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, showing a complete bacterium (centre) & another undergoing lysis due to effects of antibiotics (top right). Lysis (the death of the individual bacterium) occurs through the destruction of the outer plasma membrane (appears blue around complete bacterium), & the release of intracellular contents into the surrounding medium. S. aureus (a species of spherical, non-motile, Gram-positive bacteria) is responsible for pus containing infections such as boils and abscesses. S. aureus also secretes an exotoxin causing a type of acute gastro-enteritis. Mag: x41, 000 at 6x7cm, x20, 500 at 35mm size

© CNRI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY