Everett Smith Beneke (July 6, 1918 – May 21, 2010) was an American medical

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

, and professor of microbiology at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

(1948–1987). Beneke chaired the American Board of Bioanalysis (1968–2004), he lived in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and died in 2010 at the age of 91. He made contributions to the field of human

mycoses Fungal infection, also known as mycosis, is a disease caused by fungi. Different types are traditionally divided according to the part of the body affected: superficial, subcutaneous, and systemic. Superficial fungal infections include common ...

Study and work background

Beneke graduated from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

(Ohio) in 1940. After getting a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

in 1948, he became a faculty member of

(MSU), from which he retired in 1987. Beneke had two major research interests. The first study was about species in the

puffball Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that (when mature) bursts on contact or impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores into the surrounding area. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass sever ...

genus ''

Calvatia ''Calvatia'' is a genus of puffball mushrooms that includes the giant puffball ''C. gigantea''. It was formerly classified within the now-obsolete order Lycoperdales, which, following a restructuring of fungal taxonomy brought about by m ...

'', particularly ''

Calvatia gigantea ''Calvatia gigantea'', commonly known in English as the giant puffball, is a puffball mushroom commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous forests in late summer and autumn. It is found in temperate areas throughout the world. Taxonomy T ...

''. In 1964, he researched human fungal pathogens in Brazilian soil. Afterwards, he discovered some particular traits of mycology for medical and became expert of human mycoses. Especially ''

Candida Candida, or Cándida (Spanish), may refer to: Biology and medicine * ''Candida'' (fungus), a genus of yeasts ** Candidiasis, an infection by ''Candida'' organisms * Malvasia Candida, a variety of grape Places * Candida, Campania, a ''comu ...

'' and candidiasis were his concentrations. Numerous books were published by Beneke and his partner Alvin Rogers; these publications set fundamental criteria for the later studies. When Beneke was in MSU, he taught medical mycology for the students of physicians, microbiologists and veterinarians at MSU with Rogers, and at the Medical School of the Federal University of Mina Gerais, Belo Horizontal Brazil during the summers. Both Beneke and Rogers served as short-term consultants for the MSU/Brazilian project. After Al Rogers’ death, Beneke set up a graduate fellowship named after Al Rogers at MSU.

Honors

Beneke received several honors and awards during his career: *1961–1962: President of Mycological Society of America; Chairman of the section on mycology of the International Association of Microbiological Societies; A symposium was published in ''

Mycopathologia ''Mycopathologia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers the role of fungi in human and animal disease, i.e., medical and veterinary mycology. The journal was established in 1938 and is currently published by Springer Link. The current ...

'' (Vol. 109, No.2) *1968–2004: Chaired the American Board of Bioanalysis *1971: The honor roll of Journal of Diseases of Children *1987: Meritorious Faculty Award by College of Natural Sciences of Michigan State University *1991: Recipient of AAB’s Lucien Dean Herter Memorial Award.

Selected publications

*“A New Species of ''Achlya'' and of ''Dictyuchus'' Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, December 1948 v.64, pt. 2, pp.261-26

*“Calvatia, calvacin and cancer”. MYCOLOGIA, 1963 v.55 pp. 257–27

*“Medical Mycology Manual with human mycoses monograph” (with Alvin Rogers). Minneapolis, Burgess Publishing Company *"The Incidence and Pectolytic Activity of Fungi Isolated from Michigan Strawberry Fruits" (with LS White, FW Fabian) Applied Microbiology, March 25, 1954, pp. 253–25

Bibliography

*Beneke & Rogers
"Medical mycology and human mycoses"
Star Pub. Co., 1996 *Everett Smith Beneke
"Human mycoses"
Upjohn Co., 1979 *Everett Smith Beneke
"Medical Mycology: Laboratory Manual"
Burgess, 1968 *Constantine John Alexopoulos & Everett Smith Benek
"Laboratory Manual for Introductory Mycology"
Burgess Publishing Company, 1965 *Everett Smith Benek
"Scope monograph on Human Mycoses"
Upjohn Company, 1978 *Everett Smith Benek
PESTICIDES IN AQUATIC FUNGI IN THE THREE RIVERS AREA"
MICHIGAN STATE UNIV, EAST LANSING, Department OF BOTANY AND INSTITUTE OF WATER RESEARCH, FOR OWRR, 1973 *São Paulo (Brazil : State). Instituto de Botânic
Volume 2"
Secretaria da Agricultura, Instituto de Botânica., 1965, p. 124,p. 193,p. 195

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beneke, Everett Smith 1918 births 2011 deaths American mycologists University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Miami University alumni Michigan State University faculty

Study and work background

Honors

Selected publications

See also

Bibliography

References