History of Microbiology

Ancient Civilizations (3000 BCE - 500 CE)

• Early observations of microorganisms:
  • Ancient Egyptians (3000 BCE): observed fermentation and spoilage
  • Ancient Greeks (500 BCE): Aristotle and Hippocrates described "bad air" and "miasma" as causes of disease
  • Ancient Romans (100 BCE): observed fermentation and proposed "contagion" as a cause of disease

Microscope Development (1590 - 1676)

• Key figures:
  • Zacharias Janssen (1590): invented the first compound microscope
  • Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1676): discovered bacteria, yeast, and protists using a hand-held microscope

Germ Theory (1676 - 1881)

• Key figures:
  • Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1676): observed microorganisms in water and proposed they caused disease
  • Louis Pasteur (1857): developed the germ theory of disease and introduced vaccination
  • Robert Koch (1881): developed Koch's postulates to identify microorganisms as causes of disease

Golden Age of Microbiology (1881 - 1914)

• Key discoveries:
  • Isolation of bacteria: Robert Koch (1881) and Louis Pasteur (1881)
  • Discovery of viruses: Dimitri Ivanovsky (1892) and Martinus Beijerinck (1898)
  • Development of serology: Emil von Behring (1890) and Shibasaburo Kitasato (1890)

Modern Era (1914 - present)

• Key developments:
  • Antibiotics: Alexander Fleming (1928) and Ernst Boris Chain (1941)
  • Molecular biology: James Watson and Francis Crick (1953)
  • Recombinant DNA technology: Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer (1973)
  • Genomics and proteomics: late 20th century

Other Key Figures and Contributions

• Microbial ecology: Sergei Winogradsky (1850s) and Martinus Beijerinck (1900s)
• Virology: Wendell Stanley (1930s) and Frank Macfarlane Burnet (1940s)
• Immunology: Elie Metchnikoff (1890s) and Karl Landsteiner (1900s)

Ancient Civilizations (3000 BCE - 500 CE)

• Ancient Egyptians observed fermentation and spoilage around 3000 BCE
• Ancient Greeks, Aristotle and Hippocrates, described "bad air" and "miasma" as causes of disease around 500 BCE
• Ancient Romans observed fermentation and proposed "contagion" as a cause of disease around 100 BCE

Microscope Development (1590 - 1676)

• Zacharias Janssen invented the first compound microscope in 1590
• Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria, yeast, and protists using a hand-held microscope in 1676

Germ Theory (1676 - 1881)

• Antonie van Leeuwenhoek proposed that microorganisms caused disease in 1676
• Louis Pasteur developed the germ theory of disease and introduced vaccination in 1857
• Robert Koch developed Koch's postulates to identify microorganisms as causes of disease in 1881

Golden Age of Microbiology (1881 - 1914)

• Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur isolated bacteria in 1881
• Dimitri Ivanovsky and Martinus Beijerinck discovered viruses in 1892 and 1898
• Emil von Behring and Shibasaburo Kitasato developed serology in 1890

Modern Era (1914 - present)

• Alexander Fleming discovered antibiotics in 1928
• Ernst Boris Chain developed antibiotics in 1941
• James Watson and Francis Crick discovered molecular biology in 1953
• Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer developed recombinant DNA technology in 1973
• Genomics and proteomics emerged in the late 20th century

Other Key Figures and Contributions

• Sergei Winogradsky and Martinus Beijerinck contributed to microbial ecology in the 1850s and 1900s
• Wendell Stanley and Frank Macfarlane Burnet contributed to virology in the 1930s and 1940s
• Elie Metchnikoff and Karl Landsteiner contributed to immunology in the 1890s and 1900s