Lecture 1: The history of Microbiology

Question 1

What did Robert Hooke do?

Answer 1

• developed the first compound microscope (20x-50x)
• published Micrographia in 1665
• first to use ‘cells’

Question 2

what did Leeumwenhoek do?

Answer 2

• developed the simple microscope (200x) to examine cloth quality
• famous for animalcules in water (later discovered as germs)

Question 3

what 5 types of microscopes are there now?

Answer 3

fluorescent, confocal, scanning electron, cryo-electron, atomic force

Question 4

how does a cryo-electron work?

Answer 4

take as many images of a protein as possible to compile the atomic structure of it

Question 5

what is Miasma theory?

Answer 5

in 400BC it was believed that diseases were spread from bad air and vapours from decomposing matter

Question 6

what is spontaneous generation?

Answer 6

the belief that life arises spontaneously from non-living materials

Question 7

how was spontaneous generation disproven?

Answer 7

Redi used a meat experiment to attract flies that produce maggots however when the container was sealed no maggots appeared

Question 8

what did Semmelweiss discover?

Answer 8

• washing hands using chlorinated lime solution led to decreased death rates in birth wards
• cadaverous particles on hands makes people die

Question 9

what did Pasteur discover?

Answer 9

contact with the air is not what makes things contaminated found using the swan necked flask

Question 10

what did Koch discover?

Answer 10

germ theory that microorganisms cause disease

Question 11

what are Koch’s 4 postulates?

Answer 11

1. suspected pathogenic organism must always be present in animals suffering from disease but not in animals that aren’t
2. Organism should be able to be extracted from sick animal
3. Cells from a pure culture of the suspected organism should cause disease in a healthy animal
4. Organism should be reisolated and shown to be the same as the original

Question 12

what did Beijernick discover?

Answer 12

microbial enrichment leading to selective media discovery

Question 13

what did Lister discover?

Answer 13

surgical infections are caused by microorganisms and introduced aseptic techniques

Question 14

what did Ehrlich discover?

Answer 14

Salvarsan to treat syphilis

Question 15

what did Fleming discover?

Answer 15

Penicillin

Question 16

what did Jenner discover?

Answer 16

vaccinations via finding that milkmaids with cowpox didn’t become infected with smallpox