The History of Microbiology
Chapter 1-2 Lecture
First Microorganisms on Earth
• Fossils of primitive
microbes found in
ancient rock formations
date back to 3.5 billion
years ago; animals and
humans appeared
about 900 million years
ago.
• The first microbes on
Earth are archaea and
Stromatolites; fossils left
cyanobacteria.
behind by ancient microbes.
Earliest Known Infectious Diseases
• Infectious diseases have been around for a
very long time, probably as long as humans
and animals have existed.
• Evidence of bacterial diseases such as
tuberculosis and syphilis, is observed in the
bones and organs of mummies.
Early Microbiology
Significant events in the early history of microbiology
include the development of:
• Microscopes
• Bacterial staining procedures
• Techniques that enabled microorganisms to be
cultured (grown) in the lab
• Steps to prove that specific microbes were responsible
for causing specific diseases.
New truths become evident when new tools
become available
Pioneers in the Science of Microbiology
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek
(1632-1723)
•
•
•
•
“Father of Microbiology”
Made many simple single-lens
microscopes that would
magnify an object 200 to 300
times its size.
Used his microscopes to
examine almost anything;
scrapings from his teeth,
water from ponds, blood, and
sperm.
First to observe the existence
of tiny microscopic creatures
and called them ”animalcules”.
One of Leeuwenhoek’s letters convincing
scientists of the existence of microbes
• “Tho my teeth are kept usually very clean,
nevertheless when I view them in a Magnifying
Glass, I find growing between them a little white
matter…then to my great surprise that [matter]
contained very many small living Animals…The
number of these Animals in the scurf of a mans
Teeth, are so many that I believe they exceed the
number of Men in a kingdom.”
- Engelkirk, p. 7
Pioneers in the Science of Microbiology
• Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
• Disproved the theory of
spontaneous generation.
• Developed pasteurization,
a process used to kill
pathogens in a liquid using
heat.
• Discovered life forms
that could exist without
oxygen (anaerobes).
• Developed a vaccine to
prevent rabies in dogs
and successfully used the
vaccine to treat human
rabies.
Koch’s Postulates
Pioneers in the Science of Microbiology
• Robert Koch (1843-1910)
• Established a procedure, called
Koch’s Postulates, to prove that
a specific microbe is the cause
of a specific infectious disease.
For example, M. tuberculosis
causes tuberculosis.
• Discovered that some microbes
produce spores capable of
protecting the microbe.
• Developed methods to grow
bacteria using a petri dish.
The History of Microbiology
Main Ideas
• Create 3 main
idea questions
about the
details to the
right of your
notes.
Vocabulary
Summary
• Highlight
• Write 2-3
important
sentences
vocabulary
summarizing
words in
the topics in
your notes.
your notes.
• USE YOUR
OWN WORDS!