CONT' WEEK 1 DISCUSSION

C. History of Microbiology

1. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723)

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was born in Delft , the Netherlands , on October 24 1632.

He was known as 'The Father of Microbiology'.

He is a scientist and he is the person to observe and describe single celled organisms , which he originally referred to as animalcules which we called as microorganisms by using handcrafted microscopes.

Besides that, Leeuwenhoek also record and observe muscle fiber, bacteria, sperm, blood flow in capillaries, blood cells and rotifers.

2. Edward Jenner (1759 – 1833)

Edward Jenner was an English country physician

he discovered a safe and efficient vaccination against small pox which ultimately led to the eradication of small pox

Jenner observed that dairy workers, exposed to occupational

cowpox infection were immune to small pox.

he proved that resistance to small pox can be induced by injecting cow pox material from disease pustules into man (in 1796).

the general term 'vaccine' is given in honour of Jenner’s cow pox vaccine, to various materials used to induce active immunity.

Jenner's work is widely regarded as the foundation of immunology

3. Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895)

Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822, Dole, France

he was a French chemist and microbiologist.

he was one of the most important founders of medical microbiology.

louis pasteur discovered that microorganisms cause fermentation and disease 

he also developed vaccines against anthrax and rabies.

Pasteur’s greatest discoveries resulted in what he termed, “The Germ Theory of Disease” and led to breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of disease, methods of preservation and sanitary production of food. 

His work became the foundation for the science of microbiology, and a cornerstone of modern medicine.

4. Joseph Lister (1827 – 1912)

Joseph Lister was born on April 5, 1827 in Upton, England.

he was known as 'father of modern surgery'

he had interests in the fields of botany and zoology.

he qualified as a doctor in 1850.

Joseph Lister also obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of London in 1847.

he introduced new principles of cleanliness.

joseph lister granted that a surgeon will guard a patient's safety by using aseptic bt patients died after the procedure from 'ward's fever'.

lister thn became a Professor of Surgery.

Joseph Lister came out with a disinfectant spray with carbolic acid by doing an experiment with using one of Pasteur's proposed techniques, that of exposing the wound to chemicals.

carbolic acid cn reduce the spread of germs n reduced the rate of infection.

5. Robert Koch (1843 – 1910)

Robert Koch was born on December 11 1843 in Clausthal, Germany.

he was the founder of modern bacteriology

he was also a German physician tat contributed so much to the field of microbiology and infectious diseases. 

he identified the bacterium that causes anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) in 1877.

He recognized both the actively dividing cells and the dormant cells (spores) and developed techniques for studying them outside the body.

robert koch had also developed a way to grow bacteria in pure culture with cooking thickener (agar) which created a firm surface so the bacteria could be spread very thinly over the surface.

6. Paul Ehrlich (1854 – 1915)

Paul Ehrlich was born on March 14, 1854, in Strehlen, Silesia.

he undergo experiments with cells and body tissue revealed the fundamental principles of the immune system and established the legitimacy of chemotherapy.

he discovered the structural formula of atoxyl, a chemical compound that had been shown to be able to treat sleeping sickness (Silesia) in 1906.

His discovery of a drug that cured syphilis saved many lives and demonstrated the potential of systematic drug research.

He coined the term "chemotherapy" and popularized the concept of a "magic bullet" ("Paul R. Ehrlich").

he found the first empirical observation of the blood-brain barrier and the development of the first antibiotic drug in modern medicine (Silesia).

paul ehrlich was the person who developed the first antibiotic drug in modern medicine.

7. Alexander Fleming (1881 – 1955)

Sir Alexander Fleming was born on August 6, 1881, in Lochfield

he was a Scottish microbiologist who discovered penicillin, the first antibiotic.

he discovered penicillin and its effect on gram-positive microorganisms by observing a mould which had accidentally grown in a Petri dish with a culture of bacteria had killed the germs around it.

however, the penicillin became a life-saver in the Second World War