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350
Aristotle
350 BC- Aristotle first proposed the idea of spontaneous generation, in which living things result from certain elements under certain conditions, like worms suddenly appearing after it rains. -
Jan 1, 1546
Girolamo Fracastoro
First proposed that epidemic diseases are transmitted by "spores" which clung to people and objects ; this theory remained in place for 3 centuries. Also was the first to document Typhus. -
Francesco Redi
Redi is most well known for utilizing very controled experiments in which he challenged the theory of spontaneous generation. In his experiment, which included a series of jars to test whether or not maggots spontaneously appear, he challenged the widely accepted theory, and proved it incorrect. -
Anton van Leeuwenhoek
Known as the "Father of Microbiology", he utilized the first microscopes to make the earliest known observations of bacteria. -
John Needham
Conducted several experiments observing bacterial growth- presented arguments for spontaneous generation. -
Lazarro Spallanzani
A Catholic Priest, he studied the spontaneous generation of microbes. Previously, the origins of microorganisms was unknown, but Spallanzani found that they were not, in fact, spontaneously generated. He also found hypothesized that they must travel through the air after he found no specimens in a sealed container. -
Edward Jenner
Known as the "father of immunology", the English researcher was the pioneer of the smallpox vaccine. -
Friedrich Schroder
Air allowed to enter flask but only after passing through a heated tube or sterile wool -
Ignaz Semmelweis
The Hungarian researcher is known as the pioneer of antiseptics, and the "savior of mothers" because of his use of chlorinated lime solutions to clean himself and his patients, thus reducing the number of deaths during childbirth resulting from infection. -
Theodor Schwann
Cell Theory- "All living things are composed of cells and cell products"
Worked with yeast and tried to provide a physico-chemical explanation of life. -
Theodor von Dusch
He creatred an air filter made of cotton-wool, and demonstrated that it was effective for removing microbes from the air. -
Louis Pasteur (Vaccine)
Using chickens and cholera, Pasteur discovered that by infecting the chickens with a weakened or dead strain of cholera, the chicken would not be infected later with the disease. This, he called immunization, and worked to create and discover more vaccines. (the most important medical discovery in my humble opinion) -
John Tyndall
Believed that dust carried microbes and that if dust was absent, the area remained clean even if exposed to air. Tyndall also provided evidence for the existence of forms of heat-resistant bacteria. -
Charles Chamberland
Created a filter which had pores too small for bacteria to pass through; also helped Pasteur discover vaccines for chicken cholera. -
Robert Koch
The "Founder of modern bacteriology", Koch studied TB, cholera, and anthrax and made several discoveries regarding the behavior and classification of bacteria. His postulates - 4 general principles linking microorganisms to specific diseases, are still recognized today. -
Louis Pasteur (pasteurization)
Pasteur discovered that when a liquid or food item is heated to high temperatures and then cooled very quickly, the microorganisms are killed. This process, pasteurization, is still widely used today. -
Joseph Lister
Promoted sterile surgery: antiseptics, wash hands, gloves sterilize equipment, etc. He also developed antiseptics to clean equipment of microorganisms and taught his students to also use safe surgery practices. -
Avery–MacLeod–McCarty Experiment
This demonstration conducted by Oswald T. Avery, Colin M. MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty, showed that DNA, not protein as previously believed, is the hereditary material for bacteria and was responsible for "bacterial transformation".
