A golden age of clinical chemistry: 1948–1960. Clin Chem 2000

This segment of history aims to inform the new, and remind the not-so-new, members of the profession about the relatively recent period that initiated the dominant role played by technological innovation in the modern investigation of disease. The 12 years from 1948 to 1960 were notable for introduction of the Vacutainer tube, electrophoresis, radioimmunoassay, and the Auto-Analyzer. Also appearing during this interval were new organizations, publications, programs, and services that established a firm foundation for the professional status of clinical chemists. It was a golden age. © 2000 American Association for Clinical Chemistry Except for photoelectric colorimeters, the clinical chemis-try laboratories in 1948—and in many places even later— were not very different from those of 1925. The basi