HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF MICROBIOLOGY HISTORY PIONEERS IN MICROBIOLOGY

HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF MICROBIOLOGY

HISTORY PIONEERS IN MICROBIOLOGY

History �Antony van Leeuwenhoek (1632 -1723), a lens grinder: First observation of bacteria “Little animalcules” �In 1678, Robert Hook developed compound microscope.

Ignaz Semmelweis (1818 – 1865) Puerperal fever ("childbed fever") was both infectious and contagious Infections become preventable through the use of antiseptic techniques.

Louis Pasteur (1822 -1895) Father of Microbiology �Contributions: 1. Developed methods and techniques of bacteriology. 2. Introduced sterilization techniques, developed steam sterilizer, autoclave and hot air oven.

3. Disproved theory of spontaneous generation – Germ theory of disease 4. Microbial origin of fermentation and spoilage of wine. 5. Pasteurization

6. Studied Rabies virus, Anthrax bacilli and Cholera bacilli. 7. Coined the term – Vaccine 8. He introduced live attenuated vaccine for prophylactic use. He introduced rabies & anthrax vaccines

2. Joseph Lister (1827 -1912) �Introduced antiseptic techniques in surgery. �Father of Antiseptic surgery.

3. Robert Koch (1843 -1910) �Father of Bacteriology. Contributions: 1. Introduced techniques for isolation of pure strains of bacteria. 2. Used solid media for obtaining bacteria in pure culture. 3. Introduced staining techniques 4. Discovered anthrax bacillus, Tubercle bacillus and Vibrio cholerae

�Koch’s postulates: 1. The bacterium should be constantly associated with the lesions of the disease. 2. It should be possible to isolate the bacterium in pure culture from the lesions. 3. Inoculation of such pure culture into suitable laboratory animals should reproduce the lesions of the disease.

4. It should be possible to reisolate the bacterium in pure culture from the lesions produced in the experimental animals. 5. Specific antibodies to the bacterium should be demonstrable in the serum of patients suffering from the disease.

4. Paul Ehrlich (1854 -1915) �Father of chemotherapy. Contributions: 1. Reported acid fast nature of tubercle bacillus