The independent investigations some 70 years ago by E. G. D. Murray and colleagues in Cambridge (UK) and J, H. H. Pirie in Johannesburg (South Mrica) resulted in the first detailed descriptions of listeriosis (in both instances in small animals), together with the isolation and naming of Lis- teria monocytogenes. These descriptions in 1926 and 1927 show the pre- cision and care of these experimentalists, for not only did they show much skill and attention to detail but also great insight in surmising that the consumption of contaminated food was associated with the trans- mission of...