The history of microbiology essay

I. Intro.

Microbiology is definitely the study of living bacteria. The term tiny means really small , and with regards to biology, this identifies minute life that are independently too up-and-coming small to be seen with no aid of the microscope. These kinds of invisible bacteria include bacterias, virus, fungi, protozoan and other microscopic organisms. The study of organisms is very important as it helps points out why persons get sick and who or perhaps what is in charge of it. Prior to the development of microbiology, thousands (and sometimes millions) of people expire in disastrous epidemics while medical doctors stand helplessly with the side, totally ignorant from the reasons or perhaps causes of the disease.

Most people believed that these disorders were sent as a punishment for bad thing. Moreover, people today belonging to the past were not able to control foodstuff spoilage. Luckily, the finding of microbiology provided answers to the difficulty of epidemics and conditions and gives surge to the discovery of medicines for treatment. Contrary to before, whole families need not die because vaccinations and antibiotics have become available for prevention of infection (Tortora et al, 1992, 5-6).

This daily news will go over the history of microbiology. And since microbiology can be described as scientific discovery, this newspaper will also talk about the people who built relevant advantages to this field.

II. The Beginnings of Microbiology

A. The invention of the microscopic lense Since the research of microbiology involved microorganisms that are very small and can not be seen by the naked attention, it is recognized that microbiology developed only after the invention of microscope. Hans and Zacharias Janssen invented the first chemical substance microscope in 1590 (Cann 1998 ). However , it absolutely was only in 1665 that with the aid of a revised substance microscope, the first significant discovery concerning microbiology occurred. Robert Hooke, an Brit, mounted a plant tea leaf in his revised microscope and consequently discovered life’s structural models that he called “little boxes or perhaps “cells. This discovery led to the development of cell theory, the idea that “all living things consist of cells (Tortora ainsi que al., 1992, 6) Unfortunately, Hooke had not been able to discover bacteria or viruses underneath his lens.

B. Anton Van Leeuwenhoek, “The Dad of Microbiology

What Hooke misses, Anton Van Leeuwenhoek (Dutch merchant) discovered. Below his single-lens 300X zoom microscope, the earth saw the first time in the 1670 the bacteria (he refereed to them then since “animalcules) that ever since time began, co-exist with guy. This “animalcules are now at present called bacteria and protozoan. Leeuwenhoek’s “invisible microorganisms had been taken from rain, liquid by which peppercorn got soaked and teeth scrapings (Tortora ou al, 1992, 6; Cann 1998).

III. Golden Associated with Microbiology ( 1857-1914)

A. Louis Pasteur (French scientist)

By the mid-1880, spontaneous generation, establishes alone as a well-known scientific opinion. Spontaneous era proposed that”life can arise automatically from non-living matter (Tortora et approach, 1992, 6). In other words, there was people previously who advocated the idea that some living things originated from nonliving things. For example , they presumed that useless bodies will produce maggots (larvae of flies) or that frogs really are a product with the moist garden soil (Tortora ainsi que al, 1992, 6). No matter how popular this kind of idea may be in their period, the field of microbiology will soon disprove this.

When Leeuwenhoek discovered the “animalcules, there was very much interest as to where these microbes originated in. Others believed that these support the theory of spontaneous era. However , in 1861, John Pasteur developed a series of experiments to prove that microorganism are indeed present in the air or in non-living matter but which the microbes by itself do not come up from air or the non-living matter. To prove this time, in one of his experiments, he hard boiled several short-necked flasks filled with beef broth. After cooking food, he allowed the flask to great for several days and nights, with some of which he leftopen and some were sealed. After some days, the exposed flask got microbes while the sealed flask does not include any microorganisms (Tortora ainsi que al, 1992, 7).

What was instrumental in establishing the partnership between bacteria and disease was Pasteur’s investigation upon why wines and ale turned bad. Beverage spoilage had been while problem of French merchants whenever they dispatch their beverages over extended distances. In 1857, they will approached Pasteur and advised him to build up a method to prevent beverage spoilage. In a number of experiments, Pasteur discovered the main element agent in fermentation; he found out that microorganisms called yeast convert the all kinds of sugar in wine beverages and dark beer into alcoholic beverages in the absence of air. Souring and spoilage, on the other hand, are caused by a different microorganism called bacteria and happens only when in the presence of air bacterias change the alcoholic beverages in the drink into vinegar. To solve the condition of souring, Pasteur released the process of pasteurization that involves heating system the beer and wines just enough to kill the majority of the bacteria. Since then pasteurization have been used to get rid of harmful bacteria which have been present also in milk (Tortora ou al, 1992, 7).

The idea that yeast plays a part in fermentation and that bacteria triggers souring acquired led in the development of germ theory. Scientists are now coming into realization that in the same manner microbes can cause diseases in pets or animals and people. In 1865, Pasteur discovered that a protozoan causes the silkworm disease (Tortora et ‘s, 1992, 8).

B. Robert Koch ( German physician)

It was a Robert Koch who first proved that bacteria indeed cause disorders. In 1876, Koch discovered that a rod-shaped bacteria (Bacillus anthracis), is responsible for the clou disease in cattle. Koch obtainedan example of the bacterias, isolated several of it and others he classy in nutrition and then injected them in the bodies of healthy pets. When these kinds of animals became sick and died, Koch obtained a sample of bacterias in their bloodstream and in comparison it towards the isolated unique sample. This individual found out that both trials contained precisely the same bacteria, for that reason establishing the fact that a specific microbe causes a specific disease. In 1882, Koch made one other significant contribution to microbiology when he learned that Mycobacterium tuberculosis is responsible for the devastating tuberculosis disease (Tortora et approach, 1992, 8).

C. Different discoveries

In 1865, Paul Lister, a language surgeon, placed into practical make use of the germ theory when he attempted to control infections caused by microorganisms. Lister was your first medical professional to soak surgical dressings in a answer of carbolic acid (phenol) to destroy bacteria thereby reducing the incidence of infections and deaths among his people (Tortora ain al, 1992, 10). 33 years ago, Edward Jenner (British physician), discovered the first vaccination technique. Jenner found out that a person who had been previously sick of cowpox (a less severe form of small pox) may not be suffering from small pox, a disease that periodically killed thousands of people in Europe. Jenner discovered this kind of when he scraped a healthy you are not selected with a scrapings from cowpox blisters. The volunteer acquired sick, retrieved and never caught again whether cowpox or small pox disease. Pasteur explained that vaccination happens because several bacteria manages to lose its ability to produce a disease in the recently afflicted person, that is, the person turns into immune towards the disease because the body nowcontains antigens to fight against the bacterias (Tortora ain al, 1992, 10).

Alexander Fleming (Scottish physician) by accident discovered antibiotics in 1928. Fleming’s was almost ready to discard his cultured menu contaminated with mold if he observed that in an location beyond the mold the bacteria were not able to propagate itself. He identified this mold while Penicillium notatum or penicillin, an antibiotic produced by a fungus (Tortora et ing, 1992, 10).

IV. Modern Developments in Microbiology

A. Immunology

After the discovery of vaccination simply by Jenner in 1798, many studies had been completed concerning the role of the immunity process to fight diseases. After that other vaccines were developed to prevent the occurrence ofmeasles, mumps, polio, rubella and hepatitis B (Tortora et al, 1992, 11).

B. Virology

Modern virology extends from the golden associated with microbiology. In 1892, Dmitri Iwanowski discovered that the microbe that triggered mosaic disease of cigarette was smaller than bacteria. In 1935, Wendell Stanley determined this micro organism as a disease. Since then, science tecnistions had been definitely observing the structure and chemistry of viruses that caused various diseases (Tortora et approach, 1992, 11).

C. DNA Technology

Study regarding trait transfer was made simpler through experiments with bacteria. Until the 1930’s all hereditary research was based on the study of plant and animal skin cells, but in the 1940’s scientists shifted into a less complexunicellular organisms(bacteria) tostudy genetic and biomedical research. Upon observation in the bacteria, by 1944, Oswald Avery, Lieu noir McLeod and Maclyn McCarty were able to securely establishDNA as the hereditary material (Tortora et al, 1992, 11).

Sixth is v. Conclusion

Microbiology is very important specifically concerning it is contribution towards the maintenance and improvement of human overall health. The study of microbiology led to the information on for what reason people get sick and how to take care of them. The prominent innovators of microbiology are Anton Van Leeuwenhoek, Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, Edward Jenner and Alexander Fleming.

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