2.1 Important (micro)biologists and their Discoveries

Question 1

Antony van Leeuwenhoek (1632 - 1723)

Answer 1

• Credited with developing first microscope
• Observation of single cells
• established foundation of microbiology
• Visualised bacteria first time -> “Wee animalcules”

Question 2

Francesco Redi (1626 - 1697)

Answer 2

• Introduced scientific method
• era of enlightenment

Redi’s method:

1. ) Observe
2. ) Experiment
3. ) Hypothesize
4. ) Conclude

Experiment:

• Meat in Jar > Maggots
• Gauze over jar will prevent
• Cause: common flies
• Disproved theory of ‘spontaneous (abiogenesis) generation’ of living matter

Question 3

Theodor Schwann (1810 - 1882)

Answer 3

• Described yeast cell + importance for ‘fermentation’
• coined term ‘sugar fungus’
  (= Saccharomyces)
• Introduced term ‘metabolism’
• Described cell membranes, nuclei + organelles (cell biology)
• Developed cell theory

Question 4

Edward Jenner (1749 - 1823)

Answer 4

• Coined term vaccination
  (= vacca -> cow)
• development of vaccination against smallpox (viral disease) -> cowpox inoculum

Question 5

Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895)

Answer 5

• Discovered principles of fermentation
• Developed technique of pasteurization
• Introduced first rabies vaccine
• proofed validity of ‘germ theory’

Question 6

Robert Koch (1843 - 1910)

Answer 6

• Co-founder of bacteriology -> with pasteur
• Developed techniques to isolate and grow microorganisms -> agar plates, petri dish -> pure cultures
• Discovered tuberculosis + cholera-causing bacteria
• Koch’s postulates - unsuccessful experiments with BACILLUS ANTHRACIS (Anthrax) and mice

Question 7

Paul Ehrlich (1854 - 1915)

Answer 7

• Developed the first scientific theory of immunology
• > magic pullet
• coined the term ‘chemotherapy’
• Systematically developed synthetic drugs
  (e. g. Salvarsan against syphilis)
• Founder of chemical pharmacology
• Nobel prize in 1908

Question 8

Alexander Fleming (1881 - 1955)

Answer 8

• Discovered penicillin, the first antibiotic (Penicillium notatum, 1928)
• Nobel prize 1945
• Discovered lysozyme in human sputum (enzyme degrading bacteral cell walls)

Structure of penicillin:

• Acylamino side chain
• Beta - lactam ring
• Carboxylic acid side chain
• Thiozolidine ring

Question 9

Sir Hans Krebs (1900 - 1981)

Answer 9

• ‘Biochemical’ period of microbiology
• Discovery of major metabolic pathways: Tricarboxylic acid (TCA) or Krebs Cycle
• Nobel prize in 1953