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Francesco Redi
Francesco Redi was an Italian physician and poet who first experimented on the idea of spontaneous generation in 1668. At the time, the idea that maggots arose spontaneously in decaying flesh was widespread. To achieve the goal of proving spontaneous generation wrong, he set up an experiment.
His experiment consisted in absenting maggots in a closed jar where rotting meat had been left to decay. -
Spallanzani
Spallanzani worked on animal experimentation.
His experiment consisted of pouring the broth into jars and sealing them. He then boiled the jars for a long time to kill the micro-organisms present.
After a while, the broth had no trace of life in it. However, once he unsealed the jars, the micro-organisms grew rapidly in the broth. -
John Needham
John Needham was an English scientist and Catholic priest who championed the theory of spontaneous generation. His aim was to prove that spontaneous generation was true and he set up an experiment. His experiment was as follows: Needham briefly heated broth to boiling point, to kill micro-organisms, and poured it into flasks, later concluding that Franchesco Redi had been mistaken in the conclusion of his experiment. -
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur's professions were physician, naturalist, microbioleg, biochemist, hochschullehrer and agronomist. His experiment was to heat wine to 55 degrees, which killed bacteria without spoiling the taste. This process became known as pasteurisation, which saved the wine industry and cemented Pasteur's fame.