ABSTRACT
In the 1950s, automation entered the area of the clinical laboratory with the first widely used automatic analytical instrument, the Auto-analyzer. J. F Stevens discussed two approaches to the problem of automation in the clinical laboratory, namely continuous flow and discrete analysis. Namely, the measurement and presentation of results of the test procedures and the manipulation of the specimens or other materials. Mechanization of routine bacteriological procedures (such as the preparation of dilutions, inoculations, culture transfers, and mixing reagents) can result in improved analysis time, reduced materials consumption, or increased output. In the media service sections of large bacteriology laboratories, much routine work is involved in making various types of culture media, which includes the sterilization, washing, and assembling of large numbers of various sizes of bottles, glassware, and equipment. Spectrophotometers and nephelometers for measurement of the turbidity of growing cultures are commonly used in bacteriology.
