Anthrax cultures. 1876 diagram of Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax) bacteria cultured by Robert Koch. Along with Louis Pasteur, Koch is considered the founder of modern medical bacteriology. His techniques for cultivating bacteria, both in liquid and solid media, and his use of stains, enabled him to study the life cycles of bacteria in laboratory conditions. As a result he was able to isolate the specific bacteria responsible for certain diseases, such as those seen here.