Question

Who is the father of microbiology?
A. Leeuwenhoek
B. Pasteur
C. Robert Koch
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Anton van Leeuwenhoek laid the foundation of plant anatomy and studied animal reproduction in detail.

Complete answer:
As a tribute to his work and study in the field of microbiology Anton van Leeuwenhoek is considered the Father of Microbiology. He was a Dutch microscopist and biologist born in Delft, Netherland.

Important contributions of Leeuwenhoek in Microbiology are :
1. He is probably best known for his refinement of the microscope. He increased the magnifying power of the microscope from 20x to 270x.
2. He was the first to observe bacteria and protozoa with his single lensed microscope.
3. In 1674, he observed small single-celled organisms and named them 'Animalcules'.
4. In 1677, he discovered sperm in mammals. We all know that life originates from the sperm only along with the mother's ovum.
5. He was also the first person to study blood vessels and discovered blood cells and nematodes living in blood.

Louis Pasteur was an eminent French chemist who also coined the term 'vaccine'. He is known for his 'Theory of Spontaneous generation'. He introduced pasteurization, sterilizing techniques, and developed an autoclave, hot air oven, etc.

Robert Koch (1834-1910) is also known as the ‘Father of Bacteriology’. He discovered the anthrax bacillus in 1876, tubercle bacillus in 1882, and the cholera vibrio in 1883.

So, the correct answer is Anton van Leeuwenhoek.

Note:
1. The animalcules of Aristotle are nothing else but protozoa and bacteria.
2. Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, and Ferdinand Kohn were the three main founders of Bacteriology.
3. The anthrax vaccine was discovered by Pasteur in 1881 just after Robert Koch discovered the anthrax bacteria.