Wendelyn Joyce P.

Sumpo BSN-1A

HISTORY OF MICROBIOLOGY
Microbiology essentially began with the development of the microscope. It was
discovered in the late 17th century in the living form and it was unable to be
discovered with the naked eye. The word microbe was coined in the 19th century in
order to describe microorganisms. The scope of Microbiology has been eventually
developed into a specialized science. It has been found that microbes consist of a
very large group of highly diverse organisms. The observation of Leeuwenhoek has
been stimulated without interest and no one made a serious attempt to extend this
perspective. Then slowly the study of microbiology has been added in the nature of
the scientist and the microbes grew slowly. It was later in the 18th-century revival of
microbiology developed through microorganisms. Now the microorganism scheme in
nature has been added to the health as well as the Welfare of the human.

1. Louis Pasteur (1822–1895)

Discovered forms of life that could exist in the absence of oxygen. He introduced the
terms “aerobes” (organisms that require oxygen) and “anaerobes” (organisms that do
not require oxygen). Developed a process (today known as pasteurization) to kill
microbes that were causing wine to spoilage. Developed a vaccine to prevent rabies
in dogs and successfully used the vaccine to treat human rabies. Discovered what
occurs during alcoholic fermentation. He also demonstrated that different types of
microbes produce different fermentation products. For example, yeasts convert the
glucose in grapes to ethyl alcohol (ethanol) by fermentation, but certain
contaminating bacteria, such as Acetobacter, convert glucose to acetic acid (vinegar)
by fermentation, thus, ruining the taste of the wine.

2. Anton Van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723)

Referred to as the “Father of Microbiology,” the “Father of Bacteriology,” and the
“Father of Protozoology.” As a hobby, he ground tiny glass lenses, which he mounted
in small metal frames, thus creating what today are known as single-lens
microscopes or simple microscopes. In many of these specimens, he observed
various tiny living creatures, which he called “animalcules.”

3. Joseph Lister
During the 1860s Joseph Lister, an English surgeon, reasoned that surgical infection
(sepsis) might be caused by microorganisms. Sepsis - The condition resulting from
the presence of pathogenic microbes or their products in blood or tissues. Devised
methods to prevent microbes from entering the wounds of his patients. His
procedures came to be known as antiseptic (against sepsis) surgery, and included
handwashing, sterilizing instruments, and dressing wounds with carbolic acid
(phenol).

4. Ignaz Philip Semmelweis

About this same time (1840s), a physician by the name of Ignaz Philip Semmelweis
began using antiseptic procedures to prevent "childbirth infection" or puerperal fever
(a serious and often fatal disease associated with infection contracted during
delivery).

5. Fanny Hesse
Developed the use of agar as a solidifying agent for microbiological media.

6. Robert Koch
Direct evidence demonstrating that bacteria were disease-causing agents (etiological
agents) was provided by Robert Koch, a German physician, in 1867. Koch was
working with a disease of sheep and cattle called anthrax, and determined the
causative agent to be a type of bacteria he called Bacillus anthracis. Koch
established a sequence of experimental steps that could be used to demonstrate
beyond a doubt that a specific type of microorganism was responsible for a specific
disease. These came to be known as Koch's postulates. Made many significant
contributions to the germ theory of disease. He accomplished this using a series of
scientific steps that he and his colleagues had developed; these steps later became
known as Koch’s Postulates.

7. Richard J. Petri
developed the Petri dish in which microbial cultures could be grown.

8. Hans Christian Gram

developed the Gram stain, a stain technique that could be used to separate two
major groups of disease causing bacteria.
9. Edward Jenner
In 1796, Edward Jenner (a British Physician) reported the use of material scraped
from the skin of an individual infected with cowpox to immunize a child against
smallpox.

10. Alexander Fleming

A short time later (1928), Alexander Fleming, a Scottish physician, discovered
penicillin. Noticed that mold growing on one of his culture plates inhibited the growth
of bacteria there, and eventually isolated the substance responsible.

11. Paul Ehrlich

A German physician by the name of Paul Ehrlich searched for a “magic bullet”, and in
around 1910 developed the first effective cure for a bacterial disease. The drug he
developed was called salvarsan, and was an arsenic compound that was effective
against syphilis.

SCOPE OF MICROBIOLOGY
The scope of microbiology is his duties deliverance and involvement in day-to-day
science. The development of microbiology in various fields such as medicine,
pharmacy, clinical research, dairy industry agriculture, water industry, and Chemical
Technology has been evaluated throughout these years. Thereby in today’s science,
the microbiologist can make their careers into the research as well as non-research
fields of microbes that can level the scope of microbiology and the forecasted future.