This document provides a history of microbiology from its early discoveries to modern developments. It describes key milestones such as the invention of the microscope in the 1600s which allowed the first observations of microorganisms. Important figures like Van Leeuwenhoek, Redi, Pasteur, Koch, and Fleming are highlighted for their seminal contributions that disproved spontaneous generation, established germ theory and Koch's postulates, developed pasteurization and antibiotics. The document traces the field from its pre-1860 beginnings through defining early breakthroughs between 1860-1900 to establishing microbiology as a modern science post-1900.

1. History of Microbiology
By
Dr. Rachana Choudhary
Asstt. Prof. ,Department of Microbiology
Shri Shankaracharya Mahavidyalaya Junwani Bhilai

2. Introduction
The discipline of science which deals with the laws of
life and development of organisms particularly
microscope or submicroscopic forms of life is known
as microbiology.
 Micro - too small to be seen with the naked eye
 Bio - life
 logy - study

3. Organisms included in the study of
Microbiology
1. Bacteria Bacteriology
2. Protozoans Protozoology
3. Algae Phycology
4.Yeasts and Molds- Mycology
Fungi
5. Viruses Virology

4. History of Microbiology
The science of microbiology which really started with
the discovery of the microscope may be said to have had
three period of development
 Pre-1860 period
 Period between 1860 -1900
 Post 1900 period the modern period

5. Discovery of Microscopes
 Roger Bacon 1267 who developed a lens for the first time.
 Jansen and Jansen 1590 first produced a croute type of
microscope by placing two lenses together without any
provision for focusing
 Galileo Galilei 1610 prepared a microscope with a
focusing device called Occiale .
 Microscope was first proposed buy Faber on in 1625.
 The great discovery of the microbial world began to be
recognise.
 Robert hooke (1635 -1703) made and used a compound
microscope in the 1660s and described his fascinating
exploration of the newly discovered universe of
microscope creatures in his classic micrographia in 1665

6. Discovery of Microbial life
 Antony Van Leeuwenhoek 1677 first recorded observation of
microorganisms (Bacteria ,yeast and protozoa ) seen in water,
faeces, teeth scrappings etc. under his own microscope which were
not compound .
 He describes as tiny creatures us animalcula animal which were
translated in England as “animalcules” by the Royal society.

7. Anton van Leeuwenhoek 1674
- 1st person to actually see living microorganisms
“ animalcules”

8. Spontaneous Generation
( Abiogenesis)
 Theory that life just “spontaneously” developed
from non-living matter.
 Example:
Toads, Snakes & Mice - moist soil
Flies and Maggots - manure and decaying flesh

9. Controversy Over Spontaneous Generation
 Redi’s Experiment (1688):
 Francesco Redi 1626– 1697, Italian Physician)
Carried out a series of experiments on decaying
meat and its ability to produce maggots
spontaneously.
 John Needham 1745
 Lazzaro Spallanzani 1765
 Louis Pasteur 1861

10. Francesco Redi’s experiments with meat
uncovered covered
Maggots No maggots
Disproved that maggots arise from decaying meat!!

11. Experiment of Louis Pasteur
Experiments in Swan –neck flasks – Disproved the
theory of Abiogenesis.
• Boiled the flasks of broth – then left them open to
the air and any of ‘life force’ — Life appears.
• The broth in Swan –neck flasks when left open in
air and any of ‘life force’ — no life appears because
the S- shaped curvature trapped the microbes.

13. History (cont.)
 1861 Pasteur
Proved Microorganisms are present in nonliving matter.
Microbes can be destroyed by heat Aseptic Technique.
 Fermentation 1857 by yeast,
 Aerobic & Anerobic
Pasteurization 1860

14. Germ Theory of Disease
Some diseases are caused by microorganisms.
Hard for people to believe that diseases were caused by
tiny invisible “ animalcules “
 Benedict provost (1807)
 C.J. Davaine (1863-1868)

15. Robert Koch
 1st to prove that bacteria actually caused diseases
1876.
 Microbial Etiology of Infectious Disease
Etiology - the cause of a disease
 Established “scientific rules” to show a cause and
effect relationship between a microbe and a disease
Koch’s Postulates

16. Koch’s Postulates

17. Exceptions to Koch’s Postulates
Some organisms have never been grown in pure
culture on artificial media
Treponema pallidum - Syphilis
Mycobacterium leprae

18. Pure Culture
Key to Studying Microbes
• Pure culture is a population of organism, all of
which are the progeny of a single organism
• In nature, microbes almost never occur as pure
cultures
• Koch - 1st to use Agar to solidify culture media

19. Growth of Medical Microbiology
a. Causation of Disease –A.Bassi(1836)
J. Schoelein (1839)
D. Gruby(1843)
b. Immunization
Edward Jenner in 1796, had used vaccination with materials
from cow pox lesions to protect people against small pox.
Surgical Antiseptic
c. Joseph Lister infectious diseases were caused by
microorganisms and the chain of transmission could be broken
→ led to sterilization

20. Rise in Chemotherapy-
 Paul Ehrlich- Chemotherapy-
Treatment using chemical
substances
 1910 Paul Ehrlich -”Magic
bullet”
Salvarsan (arsenic
derivative)
Preparation 606
Syphilis

21. Discovery of virus
Adolf Mayer
Dmitri Iwanowski (1892) discovered Tobacco Mosaic
Virus (TMV) – the first viral pathogen studied.
M.Beijerinck

22. Soil Microbiology
 S. Winogradsky- Father of Soil Microbiology
 M.W. Beijerinck -Enrichment Culture Technique

23. Golden Age of Microbiology (1857 – 1914)
 Pasteur
 Pasteurization
 Fermentation
 Joseph Lister
 Phenol to treat surgical wounds – 1st attempt to control infections caused by
microoganisms
 Robert Koch
 Koch’s Postulates
 Edward Jenner
 vaccination
 Paul Erlich
 1st synthetic drug used to treat infections
 Salvarsan - arsenic based chemical to treat Syphilis
 “salvation” from Syphilis

24.  Alexander Fleming 1928
scottish researcher
 Discovered Penicillin (fungus)
by accident
 Left his Staphylococcus culture
on an agar plate for 2 weeks-
went on vacation-came back
&found mold on his plate which
prevented bacterial growth
(a mycology lab underneath
him had this rare spore drift)

25. Other Important Contribution
1900Proved mosquitoes carried the yellow fever agent
(Walter Reed)
1910 Discovered cure for syphilis (Paul Ehrlich)
1928Discovered Penicillin (Alexander Fleming)
1977Developed a method to sequence DNA (W. Gilbert &
F. Sanger)
1983Polymerase Chain Reaction invented (Kary Mullis)
1995First microbial genomic sequence published (H.
influenzae) (TIGR)

26. References
 General Microbiology by R.P. Singh
 General Microbiology by P.D. Sharma
 Google search
 Slideshare link
 https://www.slideshare.net/ssmvjunwani/history-of-
microbiology-237281250
 Youtube Link-https://youtu.be/xTKCj2R3mvU

27. THANK YOU