What was leeuwenhoeks contribution to the study of microscopic organisms

He found that the blood of cattle who were infected with anthrax always had large numbers of Bacillus anthracis. Koch found that he could transmit anthrax from one animal to another by taking a small sample of blood from the infected animal and injecting it into a healthy one, and this caused the healthy animal to become sick.

He also found that he could grow the bacteria in a nutrient broth, then inject it into a healthy animal, and cause illness. Although these postulates cannot be applied in all cases, they do retain historical importance to the development of scientific thought and are still being used today. The Microscope and Discovery of Microorganisms Antonie van Leeuwenhoek — was one of the first people to observe microorganisms, using a microscope of his own design, and made one of the most important contributions to biology.

Figure: Antoni van Leeuwenhoek : A drawing of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, one of the first scientists to use a microscope and identify microbes. Key Points Van Leeuwenhoek is largely credited with the discovery of microbes, while Hooke is credited as the first scientist to describe live processes under a microscope. Spallanzani and Pasteur performed several experiments to demonstrate that microbial life does not arise spontaneously. Cohn laid the groundwork for discovering and cataloging microbes, while Koch conclusively showed that microbes can cause diseases.

He discovered red blood cells and bacteria not long afterwards in Van Leeuwenhoek placed his specimens on a pin under the lens when making his discoveries.

He set up a new microscope for each specimen. In the end, he had about five hundred of them. Van Leeuwenhoek is also known for his drawings and descriptions of human sperm cells. Returning to Delft, he married Barbara de Mey on 29 July , and worked as a shopkeeper. The marriage resulted in five children, only one of whom, Maria, outlived Leeuwenhoek. In Leeuwenhoek left shopkeeping and became a civil servant as usher to the aldermen in Delft.

That position led him to other civil occupations that resulted in greater financial reward, such as Chief Warden of the city and Wine-gauger. Swalmius died in and their one child died in infancy. In Leeuwenhoek also began his scientific career by assembling simple microscopes and magnifying glasses.

He eventually became a skilled craftsman in the intricate shaping of microscope lenses. The techniques Leeuwenhoek developed for shaping glass allowed him to develop instruments that resolved images more clearly and magnified more powerfully than anything else that would be developed for nearly another century. He was secretive about his process, never divulging what allowed him such success.

Some credit his achievements to his exceptional manual dexterity, patience, mathematical exactitude, and good eyes.