History of Biology Charak, sometimes spelled Caraka, born c. 300 BC was one of the principal contributors to the ancient art and science of Ayurveda, a system of medicine and lifestyle developed in Ancient India. He is sometimes referred to as the Father of Anatomy Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Father of Biology Natural philosopher, identified some of the known living characteristics such as reproduction. Hippocrates (460 BC – 370 BC) He is referred to as the Western father of medicine Galen (AD 129 – 217) was a prominent physician, surgeon and philosopher. Galen contributed greatly to the understanding of numerous scientific disciplines including anatomy,physiology, pathology, pharmacology, neurology, philosophy, and logic. - Studied the functions of the kidneys and spinal cord using the Barbary ape. Andreas Vesalius (1514 –1564) was an anatomist, physician, and author of one of the most influential books on human anatomy, De humani corporis fabrica (On the Workings of the Human Body). Vesalius was born in Brussels. Vesalius is the Latinized form of Andreas van Wesel. He is sometimes also referred to as Andreas Vesal and Andre Vesale. - was the founder of modern anatomy. - Broke traditions by performing his own dissection using cadavers. William Harvey (1578 – 1657) was an English physician who was the first to describe correctly and in detail the systemic circulation and properties of blood being pumped to the body and lungs by the heart. - Correctly described how the blood is pumped around the body by the heart Marie François Xavier Bichat (1771 –1802), French anatomist and physiologist, was born at Thoirette (Jura). Bichat is best remembered as the father of modern histology and pathology. Despite the fact that he worked without a microscope he was able to advance greatly the understanding of the human body. He was the first to introduce the notion of tissue (tissues) as distinct entities. He maintained that diseases attacked tissues rather than whole organs. René Joachim Henri Dutrochet (1776 –1847) was a French physician, botanist and physiologist. He investigated and described osmosis, respiration, embryology, and the effect of light on plants. He has been given credit for discovering cell biology and cells in plants and the actual discovery of the process of osmosis. - Was credited for the formation of cell biology - Discovered cells in plants and actual process of osmosis Robert Hooke (1635 – 1703) was an English natural philosopher, architect and polymath who played an important role in the scientific revolution, through both experimental and theoretical work. Hooke is known for his law of elasticity (Hooke's law), his book, Micrographia, and for first applying the word "cell" to describe the basic unit of life. - Coined the term ―Cell‖ - First to observe a plant cell (cork cell) Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek (1632 - 1723 ) was a Dutch tradesman and scientist from Delft, Netherlands. He is commonly known as "the Father of Microbiology", and considered to be the first microbiologist. He is best known for his work on the improvement of the microscope and for his contributions towards the establishment of microbiology. Using his handcrafted microscopes he was the first to observe and describe single celled organisms, which he originally referred to as animalcules, and which we now refer to as microorganisms. He was also the first to record microscopic observations of muscle fibers, bacteria, spermatozoa and blood flow in capillaries (small blood vessels). - Helped in the improvement of the microscope - First to describe muscles, blood flow in capillaries, spermatozoa, bacteria and protozoans Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus (1707 –1778) was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology. - Laid the foundations for the modern scheme of Taxonomy - Introduced the use of binomial nomenclature (genus + species) Francesco Redi (1626 –1697) was an Italian physician, naturalist, and poet. He is most well-known for his series of experiments, published in 1668 as Esperienze Intorno alla Generazione degl'Insetti (Experiments on the Generation of Insects) which is regarded as one of the first steps in refuting "spontaneous generation" - a theory also known as Aristotelian abiogenesis. Gregor Johann Mendel (1822–1884) was an Augustinian priest and scientist, who gained posthumous fame as the figurehead of the new science of genetics for his study of the inheritance of certain traits in pea plants. Mendel showed that the inheritance of these traits follows particular laws, which were later named after him. The significance of Mendel's work was not recognized until the turn of the 20th century. The independent rediscovery of these laws formed the foundation of the modern science of genetics. - Father of Genetics - First to discover the ability of organisms (pea plants) to pass traits from parents to offspring. Thomas Robert Malthus FRS (1766 –1834), was a British scholar, influential in political economy and demography . Malthus has become widely known for his theories concerning population and its increase or decrease in response to various factors. Louis Pasteur (1822 –1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of disease. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies. His experiments supported the germ theory of disease He was best known to the general public for inventing a method to stop milk and wine from causing sickness, a process that came to be called pasteurization. He is regarded as one of the three main founders of microbiology, together with Ferdinand Cohn and Robert Koch. - Confirmed the theory of diseases - Introduced the process of pasteurization - First to create a vaccine against rabies - Disproved the theory of spontaneous generation Sir Alexander Fleming (1881 –1955) was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. Fleming published many articles on bacteriology, immunology and chemotherapy. His best-known achievements are the discovery of the enzyme lysozyme in 1923 and the antibiotic substance penicillin from the fungus Penicillium notatum in 1928, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Howard Walter Florey and Ernst Boris Chain. - Isolated and discover the antibiotic properties of penicillin. Charles Robert Darwin (1809 –1882) was an English naturalist who established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection. He published his theory with compelling evidence for evolution in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species. In modified form, Darwin's scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, explaining the diversity of life - Pioneered the evolutionary theory - Proponent of the theory of natural selection Watson and Crick were James D. Watson and Francis Crick who, using x-ray diffraction data proposed the double helix or spiral staircase structure of the DNA molecule in 1953. Their article, Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid, is celebrated for its treatment of the B form of DNA (B- DNA), and as the source of Watson-Crick base pairing of nucleotides. They were, with Maurice Wilkins, awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. - Discovered the double helix structure of the DNA Jean-Baptiste de la Marck (1744–1829), often just known as "Lamarck", was a French soldier, naturalist, academic and an early proponent of the idea that evolution occurred and proceeded in accordance with natural laws. n the modern era, Lamarck is primarily remembered for a theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics, called soft inheritance or Lamarckism. In 1801, he published Système des animaux sans vertèbres, a major work on the classification of invertebrates, a term he invented. In an 1802 publication, he became one of the first to use the term biology in its modern sense. Lamarck continued his work as a premier authority on invertebrate zoology. He is remembered, at least in malacology, as a taxonomist of considerable stature Theodor Schwann (1810–1882) was a German physiologist. His many contributions to biology include the development of cell theory, the discovery of Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system, the discovery and study of pepsin, the discovery of the organic nature of yeast, and the invention of the term metabolism. Matthias Jakob Schleiden (1804 - 1881) was a German botanist and co-founder of the cell theory, along with Theodor Schwann and Rudolf Virchow. He also recognized the importance of the cell nucleus, discovered in 1831 by the Scottish botanist Robert Brown, and sensed its connection with cell division. Robert Brown (1773 –1858) was a Scottish botanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope. His contributions include the discovery of the cell nucleus and cytoplasmic streaming; the first observation of Brownian motion; Hugo Marie de Vries (1848–1935) was a Dutch botanist and one of the first geneticists. He is known chiefly for suggesting the concept of genes,