David Hendricks Bergey was an American bacteriologist. He was the primary author of Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, which has been a fundamentally important reference book for the identification and classification of bacteria since its publication in 1923.

Bergey was born in the state of Pennsylvania where he remained his entire life. In his early years, Bergey was a schoolteacher he taught in schools of Montgomery Country.

He left this occupation to attend the University of Pennsylvania. In 1884 he receive both a B.S. and M.D. degrees. From then until 1893 he was a practicing physician. In 1893 he became a faculty member at his alma mater. The following year he was appointed the Thomas A. Scott fellow in the Laboratory of Hygiene.

In 1916, he received a doctor of public health degree. His career at the university flourished. He was professor of hygiene and bacteriology in the undergraduate and graduate...