Lecture No. 3.

Contributions of John Tyndall, Joseph Lister, Edward Jenner, Robert Koch,

Alexander Fleming and Waksman – Germ theory of fermentation and disease.

John Tyndall
1. Proved biogenesis theory
2. Developed Tyndallisation (Fractional Sterilization)

Tyndallisation : Process used to sterilize food/media which cannot be heated above 100°C

Subject is heated to 100°C for 15 min then allowed to cool to 37°C, where it is maintained
for several hours. This will kill all vegetative cells but not spores. However the spores should
germinate into vegetative cells during the 37° C wait. The subject is then heated to 100°C again
for 15 min. and again allowed to cool to 37°C for several hours .The subject is then heated to
100°C for a third time after which it is assumed all spores will have germinated and been killed
Joseph Lister
 Joseph Lister (Father of Chemotherapy or “Father of antiseptic surgery”.) published
his work in antiseptic surgery in 1867.
 Developed Pure culture technique. Pure culture referred as the growth of moss of cells
of same species in a vessel

 Discovered that carbolic acid (Phenol) to disinfect the surgical equipments and
dressings leads the reduction of post-operational deaths/infections.

Edward Jenner
Edward Jenner introduced cowpox vaccination for smallpox in 1798
Robert Koch Developed Koch Postulates
Koch’s Postulates
1. The microorganisms must be present in every case of the disease but absent from healthy
organisms
2. The suspected microorganisms must be isolated and grown in a pure culture.
3. The same disease must result when the isolated
4. The same microorganisms must be isolated again from the diseased host.
Alexander Fleming
1. Discovered lysozyme in 1921
2. Discovered penicillin in 1929
Selman A. Wksman
Discovered streptomycin; isolated streptomycin from Streptomyces griseus
Some important Events in the Development of Microbiology
Year Microbiological History
1798 Edward Jenner introduced cowpox vaccination for smallpox
1857 Pasteur showed that lactic acid fermentation is due to a microorganisms
1861 Pasteur shows that microorganisms do not arise by spontaneous generation
1867 Joseph Lister (Father of Chemotherapy) published his work in antiseptic
surgery
1869 Miescher discovers nucleic acids
1876-1877 Koch demonstrates that anthrax is caused by Bacillus anthracis
1881 Koch clultures bacteria on gelatin
Pasterur develops anthrax vaccine
1882 Koch discovers tubercle bacillus
1884 Koch’s postulates first published; Metchnikoff describes phagocytosis;
Autoclave developed; Gram stain developed
1885 Pasteur develops rabies vaccine
1887 Petri dish (plate) developed by Richard Petri
1887-1890 Winogradsky studies sulfur and nitrifying bacteria
1888 Beijerinck isolates root nodule bacteria
1890 Von Behring prepares antitoxins for diphtheria and tetanus
1892 Ivanowsky provides evidence for virus causation of tobacco mosaic disease
1895 Bordet discovers complement
1897 Buchner prepares extract of yeast that ferments
Ross shows that malaria parasite is carried by the mosquito
1899 Beijerinck proves that a virus particle causes the tobacco mosaic disease
1902 Landsteiner discovers blood groups
1903 Wright and others discover antibodies in the blood of immunized animals
1906 Schaudinn and Hoffmann show Treponema pallidum causes syphilis
Wassermann develops complement fixation test for syphilis
Ricketts shows that Rocky Mountain spotted fever is transmitted by ticks
1910 Ehrlich develops chemotherapeutic agent for syphilis
1915-1917 D’ Herelle and Twort discovered bacterial viruses
1921 Fleming discovered lysozyme
1923 First edition of Bergey’s Manual
1928 Griffith discovers bacterial transformation
1929 Fleming discovered penicillin
1933 Ruska develops first transmission electron microscope
1935 Stanley crystallizes the tobacco mosaic virus
Domagk discoverd sulfa drugs
1937 Chatton divides living organisms into prokaryotes and eucaryotes
1941 Beadle and Tatum, one-gene-one-enzyme hypothesis
1944 Avery shows that DNA carries information during transformation
Waksman discovers streptomycin
1946 Lederberg and Tatum describe bacterial conjugation
1950 Lwoff induces lysogenic bacteriophages
1952 Zinder and Lederberg discover generalized transduction
1953 Phase-contrast microscope developed; Medawar discovers immune
tolerance ; Watson and Crick proposed the double helix structure for DNA
1955 Jacob and Wollman disvoer the F factor is a plasmid
Jerne and Burnet proposed the clonal selection theory
1959 Yalow developed the radioimmunoassay technique
1961 Jacob and Monod proposed the operon model of gene regulation
1961-1966 Nirenberg, Khoranna, and others elucidated the genetic code
1962 Porter proposed the basic structure for immunoglobulin G First quinnolone
antimicrobial (nalidixic acid) synthesized
1970 Discovery of restriction endonucleases by Arber and Smith
Discovery of reverse transcriptase in retroviruses by Temin and Baltimore
1973 Ames developed a bacterial assay for the detection of mutagens and
carcinogens

Review questions
1. Contributions of
a. John Tyndall
b. Joseph Lister
c. Edward Jenner
d. Waksman
2. Explain Germ theory of fermentation and disease
3. State Koch postulates
4. Who discovered penicillin?
5. What is Tyndallisation?