Historical timeline of Microbiology

1665

Robert Hook- Cell Theory

Looked at a cork under a microscope and saw boxes which he called cells.

1668

Did not believe in spontaneous generation, he experimented with meat in jars to prove maggots did not arrive spontaneously

Francisco Redi

1673-1723

Anton Van Leeuwenhoek

first person to observe living organisms under a microscope he called them Animalcule (microorganism)

1753

Developed the binomial nomenclature that we use today.

Carl Linneaus

1796

Edward Jenner

Created the first vaccine for small pox. Inoculated people with a similar virus – cow pox.

1827-1912

Treated surgical wounds with phenol which killed bacteria, decreased infection and death in patients. Responsible for aseptic techniques. (Listerine)

Joseph Lister

1843-1910

Robert Koch

Koch's Postulates.

1. The same pathogen must be present in every case of the the disease.

2. The pathogen must be isolated from the diseased host and grown in pure culture.

3. The pathogen from the pure culture must cause the disease when it's inoculated into a healthy, susceptible laboratory animal.

4.The pathogen must be isolated from the inoculated animal and must be shown to the original organism.

1847

Proved that microorganisms causes surgical would infection

Ignaz Semmelweis

1864

Louis Pasteur

Demonstrated that microbes in the air could contaminate sterile solutions, but the air itself can not create microbes. Showed microbes could be present in non living matter and could be killed by heat.

Created pasteurization

1876

Robert Koch

Discovered Anthrax -Bacillus anthracis(not the band)

1884

Elie Metchnikoff

Discovered Phagocytosis. Observed cells collected around a splinter inserted in a sea star embryo

1910

Discovered first treatment for syphilis

Paul Ehrlich

1928

Alexander Fleming

Accidently discovered penicillin, first antibiotic discovered

Main topic

1940's

demonstrated the relationship between genes and enzymes

George W. Beadle and Edward I. Tatum

1950's

Barbara McClintock

A geneticist who discovered transposms in corn.

Transposons- are tiny segments of DNA that can move from one region of DNA molecule to another

1950's

Proposed a model for the structure and replication of DNA.

James Watson and Francis Crick

1953

Roasalind Franklin

Identified physical structures of DNA

1857 to 1914 First Golden Age Of Microbiology

1940s -1980s Second Golden Age of Microbiology