Catherine McRorie
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
Born in the netherlands in 1632 - died in 1723
By age 20, he was a draper and haberdasher who had a hobby
in micrographia and microscopes.
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Leeuwenhoek had a hobbie of
creating microscopes, creating an
estimated 500, hand-crafted
lenses. These were so advance it
lead him to the discovery of
microbiology, though he never
shared how he made these
microscopes
Leeuwenhoek made his
microscopes out of a single very
short focal length, about the size of
a pinhead of a needle. These were
better than the compound
microscopes at the time because it
decreased color distortion.
Leeuwenhoek was influenced by
Robert Hook's book, Micrographia
that often mentioned looking at
creatures up close, though when
Leeuwenhoek did this, he saw more
than Hook.
One August, Leeuwenhoek took a
sample from his local pond,
experiencing and algae bloom, and
notice what he called “little
animals” when translate to english
or animalcules.
For the next couple years after the
swamp discovery, Leeuwenhoek
wrote detailed journals and letters
as he investigated his curiosity.
(on animalcules)
“Among all the marvels
I have discovered in
nature, these are the
most marvelous of all”
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Leeuwenhoek sent letters to the
Royal Society in London, where
Henry Oldenburg translated his
work into english and published it
in 1677 in Philosophical
Transactions.
Unlike Leeuwenhoek who refused
to publish any of his methods,
Hook ran similar experiments
based on Leeuwenhoek’s findings
and confirmed them, with provision
of his methods and microscopes.
His findings went against the
common idea that the creation of
life was spontaneous generation.
Leeuwenhoek is credited with the
discovery of sperm, red-blood
cells, bacteria, and protozoans.
After his death, scientists failed to
replicate the accuracy of his
microscopes the the point where
many doubted Leeuwenhoek.
Leeuwenhoek also discovered the
presence of spermatozoa in
testicular tissue, leading him to the
conclusion that sperm was the sole
purpose of the testis.
“In the year 1675, I
discovered very small living
creatures in rainwater,
which had stood but a few
days in a new earthen pot
glazed blue within”