History of Milestone Discoveries in Microbiology

Question 1

Robert Hooke (1635-1703)

Answer 1

Built the 1st microscope (30x magnification).

Question 2

Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723)

Answer 2

Built stronger microscopes (500x magnification).

1st to observe single-celled organisms.

Question 3

Edward Jenner (1749-1823)

Answer 3

Introduced a “vaccination” against smallpox from cowpox scabs - noticed how milkmaids with cowpox never got smallpox.

Tested on 8 year-old James Phipps: attempted to sicken his with smallpox 20x.

Question 4

Lazarro Spallanzani (1729-1799)

Answer 4

1st to disprove spontaneous generation via boiled water not growing microbes.

Question 5

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)

Answer 5

Continued to disprove spontaneous generation via swan-necked flasks.

Question 6

Louis (1822-1895)’s experiment:

Answer 6

1. Non-sterile liquid poured into flask.
2. Flask gets neck heated up.
3. Broth gets heated up.
4. Broth stays sterile indefinitely, bacteria accumulate in flask neck.

Question 7

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)

Answer 7

Showed how infection caused more mortality than anything else during the Crimean war - convinced the British Army to adopt more hygienic conditions.

Question 8

Robert Koch (1843-1910)

Answer 8

Developed “Koch’s Postulates” to determine specific infections caused by specific bacteria.

Question 9

Robert Koch (1843-1910)’s Postulates

Answer 9

1. Microbe is found in all bases of the disease and is absent in healthy individuals.
2. Microbe can be isolated from infected individuals and grown in pure culture.
3. When the microbe is introduced to a healthy individual, the same disease occurs.
4. The same microbial strain is observed from the newly-diseased and previously-diseased hosts.

Question 10

Angelina + Walter Heisse

Answer 10

1st to use solid medium for microbe cultivation.

Question 11

Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865)

Answer 11

1st to propose hand washing for physicians.

Question 12

Joseph Lister (1827-1912)

Answer 12

1st to use clean operating surfaces for patients by spraying carboxylic acid on surface - noticed fewer deaths.

Question 13

Alexander Fleming (1881-1955)

Answer 13

Discovered penicillin - started antibiotic revolution.

Question 14

Martinus Beijerinck (1851-1931)

Answer 14

Realised disease could not originate from a bacterial cell.

Question 15

Wendell Stanley (1904-1971)

Answer 15

Founder of virology.