Dr. Chitra Bhattacharya will be teaching a course on fundamentals of microbiology. The course will cover terminology, identification, why microbiology is studied, its history and contributions of key figures. It will discuss the omnipresence of microbes in nature and introduce concepts like microbiology, microorganisms, and microscopy. The history will be divided into the discovery, transitional, golden and modern eras highlighting figures like Aristotle, Van Leeuwenhoek, Pasteur and Fleming. The document provides definitions of key terms and an overview of the scope and content to be covered in the course.

1. Topic: Unit 1
Scope and History of Microbiology
Faculty Name: Dr. Chitra Bhattacharya
Branch: Microbiology
Atmiya University, "Yogidham Gurukul", Kalawad Road, Rajkot - 360005
Web: www.atmiyauni.ac.in
: : atmiyauniversity : : atmiya_university
Subject Code: 18BMBCC101
Subject Name: Fundamentals of Microbiology

3. Content To Be Covered:
Terminologies for the Subject
Identification
Why to Study the Subject
Introduction of Microbiology
History of Microbiology
Contribution of Legends in
the Field of Microbiology
Question- Answer Round

4. Why to Study the Subject
Microbes Distribution in Nature:
Omnipresent: Generally microorganisms are
everywhere in nature and grows where they
get food, moisture and temperature.
Occurrence
• Air
• Soil
• Water, Oceans
• Food we eat
• Surfaces of our body (Skin) and inside
alimentary canal also.

5. Terminologies
Microbiology: Is the study of microorganisms,
which includes viruses, prokaryotes (bacteria and
certain algae), eukaryotes such as fungi and protists
also.

6. Terminologies
Microorganisms: Cell-cluster microscopic
organisms especially a bacterium, virus and fungus
which can be seen with only microscope.

7. Terminologies
Microscope: An optical instrument used for viewing
very small objects, such as mineral samples, plant or
animal cells and microorganisms, typically magnified
several hundred times.

8. Terminologies
Era: An era is a span of time defined for the
purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the
regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a
calendar era used for a given calendar, or the
geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Abiogenesis: The original evolution of life or
living organisms from inorganic or inanimate
substances.
Biogenesis: Living matter arises only from other
living matter.

9. Introduction of Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of
organisms that are too
small to be seen by the
naked eye. Which is visible
only with a microscope.
From the beginning of
civilization microbes have
been coexisted with
humans and they provides
both beneficial and
detrimental roles to human
life.

10. History
of
Microbiology
Discovery
Era
Transitional
Era Golden Era Modern Era
A Brief History of Microbiology

11. Discovery Era
Aristotle (384-322) (Abiogenesis)
Robert Hooke (1635–1703)
Antony Van Leeuwenhoek (1632 –
1723)
A Brief History of Microbiology

12. Transitional Era
Francesco Redi (1626 - 1697)
John Needham (1713 – 1781)
Lazzaro Spallanzai (1729 – 1799)
A Brief History of Microbiology

13. Golden Era
Louis Pasteur (1897)
John Tyndall (1820- 1893)
Robert Koch (1893-1910)
A Brief History of Microbiology

14. A Brief History of Microbiology
Modern Era
Edward Jenner (1749-1823)
Alexander Flemming (1881-1955)
Lord Joseph Lister (1827-1912)
Paul Erlich (1920)

15. A Brief History of Microbiology
Aristotle (384-322) According to his believe,
living organisms could develop from non-living
materials.
Antony Van Leeuwenhoek (1632 – 1723)
Leeuwenhoek observed a variety of things
including pond water, rain water, blood and
scrapings from his own teeth using his own
Microscope.
DISCOVERY ERA: Spontaneous Generation

16. Spontaneous Generation
➢ The belief in the spontaneous
generation of life from nonliving
matter was introduced by Aristotle,
who lived around 350 BC.
➢ According to Aristotle, it was:
“readily observable that aphids arise
from the dew which falls on plants, fleas
from putrid matter, mice from dirty hay.”
➢ This belief remained unchallenged for
more than 2000 years.
From the Virtual Microbiology Classroom on ScienceProfOnline.com

17. Robert Hooke (1635–
1703): 17th-century English
scientist, was the first to use a
lens to observe the smallest
unit of tissues he called
“cells.” He observed the cork
cell c/s Little Boxes Cells.

18. Antony Van Leeuwenhoek
(1632 – 1723)
• Leeuwenhoek observed a variety of
things including pond water, rain
water, blood and scrapings from his
own teeth using his own
Microscope.
• Descriptions of Protozoa, basic
types of bacteria, yeasts and algae.
• In 1676, he observed and described
microorganisms such as bacteria
and protozoa as “Animalcules”.
• He made accurate sketches and
communicated his findings to
“Royal society of London”.

19. Francesco Redi (1626-1697)
He observed that maggots would not arise in
covered decaying meat.
TRANSITION ERA: When microorganisms were known to exist

20. TRANSITION ERA: When microorganisms were known to exist
John Needham (1713 –1781) He proposed that tiny
organisms the animalcules arose spontaneously on his mutton
gravy. He covered the flasks with cork as done by Redi and even
heated some flasks. Still the microbes appeared on mutton broth.

21. TRANSITION ERA: When microorganisms were known to exist
Lazzaro Spallanzai (1729–1799) He refused the
Needham’s experiment. He boiled beef broth for longer period,
removed the air from the flask and then sealed the container.
Followed incubation no growth was observed by him in these
flasks. He showed that the heated nutrients could still grow
animalcules when exposed to air by simply making a small
crack in the neck.

22. GOLDEN ERA: Work has been continue and expand.
During this period, we see the real beginning of microbiology as a
discipline of biology.
Louis Pasteur (1897) The concept of spontaneous
generation was finally put to rest after his experiment and
developed Pasteurization technique for alcohol and milk by
heating 62.8°C (145°F) for 30 minutes

23. Set of experiments
involving a goose
necked flask.
Boiled broth in a
flask with a straight
neck and left it
exposed to air,
organisms grew
Boiled with his
goose-necked flask,
nothing grew
The S-shape of this
second flask trapped
dust particles from
the air
Preventing the air
from reaching the
broth
He could allow air to
get into the flask but
not the particles in
the air,
Pasteur proved that it
was the organisms in
the dust that were
growing in the broth
Resolved the
controversy of
Abiogenesis versus
biogenesis
Established the
theory of Biogenesis
Pasteur’s Experiment in Flow Chart

24. GOLDEN ERA: Work has been continue and expand.
During this period, we see the real beginning of microbiology as a
discipline of biology.
John Tyndall (1820 –1893) He discovered high
resistant bacterialstructure, later known as endospore.
Prolonged boiling or intermittent heating was necessary to
kill these spores, to make the infusion completely
sterilized, a process known as Tyndallisation.

25. GOLDEN ERA: Work has been continue and expand.
During this period, we see the real beginning of microbiology as a
discipline of biology.
Robert Koch (1893-1910)
• He gave the first direct demonstration of
the role of bacteria in causing disease. first
of all isolated anthrax bacillus (Bacillus
anthracis, the cause of Anthrax) in 1876.
• He perfected the technique of isolating
bacteria in pure culture.
• He also introduced the use of solid culture
media in 1881 by using gelatin as a
solidifying agent.
• He proposed Koch postulate which were
published in 1884 and are the corner stone
of the germ theory of diseases

26. Fanne Eilshemius Hesse
(1850-1934)
• One of Koch's assistant
first proposed the use of
agar in culture media.
• It was not attacked by most bacteria.
• Agar is better than gelatin because of its
higher melting pointing (96°C) and
solidifying (40 – 45°C)points.
Richard Petri(1887)
He developed the Petri dish (plate), a
containerused for solid culture
media.

27. Edward Jenner (1749-1823) First to prevent
small pox. He discovered the technique of vaccination.
MODERN ERA: Development in Medicine and Surgery

28. MODERN ERA: Development in Medicine and Surgery
Lord Joseph Lister
(1827-1912)
Contribution to the antiseptic treatment
for the prevention and cure of wound
infections. Lister concluded that wound
infections too were due to
microorganisms. In 1867, he developed
a system of antiseptic surgery designed
to prevent microorganisms from entering
wounds by the application of phenol on
surgical dressings and at times it was
sprayed over the surgical areas.

29. MODERN ERA: Development in Medicine and Surgery
Alexander Flemming (1881-1955) He
discovered the Penicillin from Penicillium notatum that
destroy several pathogenic bacteria.

30. MODERN ERA: Development in Medicine and Surgery
Paul Erlich (1920)
• He discovered the treatment of syphilis by using arsenic
• He Studied toxins and antitoxins in quantitative terms &
laid foundation of biological standardization.

31. QUIZ
1. Who is the Father of Modern Microbiology?
a) Antony Van Leeuwenhoek
b) Paul Erlich
c) Louis Pasteur
d) Robert Koch

32. 2. Microorganism responsible for causing
Anthrax.
a) Bacillus cereus
b) Bacillus megaterium
c) Bacillus thuringiensis
d) Bacillus anthracis

33. 3. The event that triggered the development and
establishment of microbiology as a science is
the
a) Development of microscope
b) Germ theory of disease
c) Spontaneous generation
d) Development of vaccines

34. 4. Which scientist first disproved the
spontaneous generation by showing maggots
experiment
a) Joseph Lister
b) Francesco Redi
c) Robert Hooke
d) John Needham

35. 5. Inventor of high quality magnifying lens
a) Robert Hooke
b) Robert Koch
c) Antony Van Leeuwenhoek
d) Lazzaro Spallanzani

36. 6. Penicillin produced from fungi…
a) Aspergillus niger
b) Fusarium oxysporum
c) Penicillium notatum
d) Rhizopus oryzae

37. 7. Spontaneous generation is also called as
Biogenesis..
a) True
b) False

38. 8) Who is the Father of Microbiology?
a) Antony Van Leeuwenhoek
b) Louis Pasteur
c) Robert Koch
d) Alexander Flemming

39. 9. In the process of pasteurization, what would
be the heating temperature?
a) 62.8°C for 30 min.
b) 62.8°C for 10 min.
c) 62.8°C for 20 min.
d) 62.8°C for 15 min.

40. 10) Fanne Eilshemius Hesse, One of Koch's
assistant first proposed the use of agar in culture
media in between following year
a) 1749-1823
b) 1850-1934
c) 1893-1910
d) 1713-1781

41. ANSWER KEY
1. a
2. d
3. a
4. b
5. c
6. c
7. b
8. a
9. a
10.b

42. Thank You
Atmiya University, "Yogidham Gurukul", Kalawad Road, Rajkot - 360005
Web: www.atmiyauni.ac.in
: : atmiyauniversity : : atmiya_university