The Father of Microbiology
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Leeuwenhoek, the Father of Microbiology Fun with “Animicules” he distinction of being the of them. He was known to make first human to observe over 500 microscopes of which and record the existence only ten survive to this day. Tof bacteria belongs to the Dutch scientist, Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek’s microscopes Leeuwenhoek (pronounced with were actually little more than much difficulty as “lay-U-wen- magnifying glasses, although By Jay Hardy, CLS, SM (NRCM) hook”). surprisingly powerful. They consisted of only one lens Born to a working class family mounted on a tiny hole on a Jay Hardy is the founder and in Delft, Holland in 1632, small brass plate. The specimen president of Hardy Diagnostics. Leeuwenhoek was truly a self- was mounted on a spiked screw He began his career in made scientist, having never in front of the lens. The entire microbiology as a Medical Technologist in Santa Barbara, received a degree, attended an instrument was only 3-4 inches California. institution of higher learning, or long, and had to be held up In 1980, he began learned a foreign language. In close to the eye. It required manufacturing culture media for fact, he began his working good lighting and acute eyesight the local hospitals. Today, career as a draper (a seller of along with great patience and Hardy Diagnostics is the third largest culture media fabrics). He also dabbled in skill to use. manufacturer in the U.S. surveying, wine and beer inspection, and local city To ensure rapid and reliable turn around time, Hardy government. Diagnostics maintains six distribution centers, and However, around 1668, he produces over 3,000 products used in clinical and industrial became involved in a project microbiology laboratories that would later bring him throughout the world. notoriety as one of the greatest microbiologists of all time. He read the book Micrographia by Robert Hook, which described the use of a compound microscope. Hook was the first to name and describe the “cell” as he observed thin layers of cork tissue. Inspired by this Amazingly, Leeuwenhoek’s single discovery, Leeuwenhoek began lens microscope was capable of to hand craft lenses and magnifications of 270X and possibly construct microscopes…many 500X. Being an astute businessman, Leeuwenhoek's skill at crafting they "much strained and Leuwenhoek closely guarded lenses, together with his weakened the sight." his technique for making lenses. naturally acute eyesight and Many believed at the time that great care in adjusting the What further distinguished he was grinding very small lighting where he worked, Leeuwenhoek was his curiosity lenses, when in fact his secret enabled him to build to observe almost anything that technique consisted of placing microscopes that magnified could be placed under his the middle of a small rod of over 200 times, with clearer and lenses, and his care in soda lime glass in a hot flame. brighter images than any of his describing what he saw. He then pulled the hot section colleagues had ever achieved. Although he himself could not apart like taffy to create two draw well, he hired an long whiskers of glass. Then illustrator to prepare drawings reinserting the end of one of the things he saw to whisker into the flame, he could accompany his written create a very small, high-quality descriptions. Most of his glass sphere. These spheres descriptions of microorganisms became the lenses of his are instantly recognizable today. microscopes, with the smallest spheres providing the highest magnifications. This technique, “which I only keep for myself” he wrote, could not be imitated or duplicated for many years. It wasn’t until 1957 that a similar lens was created using the thin glass thread as Leeuwenhoek Although Robert Hooke’s compound microscope predates Leeuwenhoek’s A view of blood cells as seen through did in the late 1600’s. and would appear to be more a Leeuwenhoek microscope recreated sophisticated, it could only achieve by Brian Ford. In 1981 Ford Oddly enough, the compound magnifications of about 50X, and discovered some of Leeuwenhoek’s microscope (using multiple thus unable to observe bacteria as original specimens hidden in lenses) was invented in 1595, Leeuwenhoek had. envelopes within his letters to the Royal Society of London. forty years prior to Robert Hooke was asked by the Leuwenhoek’s birth. Even so, Royal Society of London to He began his work as a Leeuwenhoek’s devices were confirm Leeuwenhoek's microscopist by examining the little more than powerful findings. He successfully did so, stingers and mouth parts from magnifying glasses, so he thus paving the way for the bees. He described his cannot be credited with being wide acceptance of observations in a letter to the the “inventor of the Leeuwenhoek's discoveries. newly formed Royal Society of microscope” as he so often is. Hooke noted that London in 1673. He continued However, because of various Leeuwenhoek's simple to write these letters describing technical difficulties in building microscopes gave clearer his work to the Royal Society them, early compound images than his compound for the next 50 years. Although microscopes were not practical microscope, but found the he never published a book, he for magnifying objects more simple microscopes difficult to wrote 560 of these letters to the than about twenty or thirty use: he called them "offensive Society, which were translated times natural size. to my eye" and complained that from Dutch to English. Some of which were published in the Spirogyra and other algae gently moving, with Philosophical Transactions of from pond water outstretched bodies and the Royal Society, which straightened-out tails; yet in an provides us with a wonderful instant, as it were, they pulled record of his amazing their bodies and their tails discoveries. together, and no sooner had they contracted their bodies and The description of single celled tails, than they began to stick organisms was completely their tails out again very novel, if not revolutionary at the leisurely, and stayed thus some “Spirally wound serpent-wise, time. His work was received by time continuing their gentle and orderly arranged, after the the Royal Society with much motion: which sight I found manner of the copper or tin doubt. So much so, that the mightily diverting." worms, which distillers use to unbelieving Society sent an cool their liquors as they distill agent to Holland to verify Motile Bacteria in plaque over. The whole circumference Leeuwenhoek’s integrity in from his teeth (Selenomonas?) of each of these streaks was person. about the thickness of a hair of one's head. All consisted of very small green globules joined together: and there were very many small green globules as well" Vorticella and other ciliates and protozoa "I then most always saw, with great wonder, that in the said matter there were many very little living animalcules, very prettily a-moving. The biggest One of Leeuwenhoek’s many letters sort. had a very strong and to the Royal Society of London. swift motion, and shot through the water (or spittle) like a pike does through the water. The "In structure these little Below is a partial list of what he second sort. oft-times spun animals were fashioned like a observed along with his round like a top. and these bell, and at the round opening detailed, if not whimsical, were far more in number." they made such a stir, that the descriptions. Observing plaque from an older particles in the water man who never cleaned his thereabout were set in motion teeth, "an unbelievably great thereby. And though I must company of living animalcules, have seen quite 20 of these little a-swimming more nimbly than animals on their long tails any I had ever seen up to this alongside one another very time. The biggest sort. bent waiting for it to become corrupt was named to be the executor of their body into curves in going or fluid/watery, five or six his will. forwards. Moreover, the minutes after ejaculation. I have other animalcules were in such noticed that a large number of enormous numbers, that all the small animals, I think it must be water. seemed to be alive.” more than a thousand, on an area no larger than a grain of sand." He described the semen as "sperm animals", which he considered to be the nucleus of the new individual, while the egg cell was supposed to be just nourishment for the “sperm animal". These descriptions landed Leeuwenhoek in much One of Vermeer’s paintings thought trouble with the Calvinist to be of Anthonie Leeuwenhoek, but church authorities of his day. never verified. Leuwenhoek diligently In 1680 he was fully vindicated This represents the first continued his work by at last and elected a full member description of bacteria by man. describing blood cells, sperm of the Royal Society, joining cells, muscle fibers, rotifers, Robert Hooke, Henry formanifera, and the circulatory Oldenburg, Robert Boyle, Sperm cells from insects, system of eels. All were Christopher Wren, and other dogs, and man recorded in great detail in his scientific luminaries of his day - letters to the Royal Society. although he never attended a meeting. Because Leeuwenhoek was born in the same town and in At the age of 90, he died in the same year as the famous Delft in 1723. Considering the Dutch painter Jan Vermeer, it magnitude of his discoveries has been thought that the two made during his lifetime, he has men were at least well deserved the title of the acquaintances, if not good “Father of Microbiology”. friends. Others have surmised even further that Leeuwenhoek, Jay Hardy, CLS, SM (NRCM) with his superior knowledge of Santa Maria, CA lenses, worked with Vermeer to project optical images to assist in the creation of the Dutch masterpieces of the renaissance, according to the theory of Hockney-Falco.