History of microbiology

Historical development –

The proponent of concept of spontaneous generation claimed that living organism could develop from non- living or decomposing matter.

Theory of spontaneous generation

1. Francesco Redi (1626-1697)

Challenge this concept by showing that ” maggots” on decaying meat came from fly eggs deposited on the meat and not from the meat itself. (not support of spontaneous generation).

2. John Needham ( 1713-1781)

Shows that mutton broth boiled in flasks then sealed could still develop microorganism, which supported the theory of spontaneous generation.

3. Lazzaro Spallanzani ( 1729-1799)

Showed that flasks sealed and then boiled had no growth of microorganisms.

He proposed that air enters to germs culture medium needham’s solution after they were boiled.

He also committed that external air might needed to support the growth of organism in medium.

4. Edward Jenner (1749-1823)

Father of immunology

First scientific attemps at artificial immunization.

Discovered small pox vaccine from cowpox infection.

In 1976 proved that by inoculating pus from cowpox lesions into individuals to immunized, it protected them against small pox. Known as vaccination.

Develop first vaccine from cowpox, importance of immunization.

5. Louis pasteur (1822-1895)

Father of microbiology

Important contribution of Louis Pasteur in microbiology-

1. Development of methods and techniques of bacteriology.
2. Introduction of sterilization techniques – steam sterilizer, hot-air oven, autoclave
3. Studies on chicken cholera, cholera and hydrophobia (Rabies) and anthrax.
4. Louis Pasteur’s development of a vaccine for chicken cholera and anthrax.
5. Pasteur’s development of vaccine for hydrophobia marked a milestone in development of immunization in medicine.
6. Live vaccine; introduce live vaccines for prophylactic ( order to prevent disease).
7. Introduction of pasteurization
8. Developed method and techniques for cultivation of microorganisms
9. Joseph Lister (1827-1912)

Father of Antiseptic surgery. Father of modern surgery.

He was professor of surgery.

Developed a system of Antiseptic surgery designed to prevent microorganisms, from entering wound.

He introduce antiseptic techniques in surgery (1867).

Lister used Carbilic acid for antiseptic surgery.

Laid milestone for modern aseptic techniques.

Louis Pasteur disapproved theory of spontaneous generation.

7. Robert Koch (1843-1910)

Father of Bioteriology, father of microbial techniques

Father of medical microbiology.

Contributions are-

1. Perfected bacteriology techniques and introduced method for isolation of pure strains of bacteria.
2. Introduce methods of obtaining bacteria in pure culture using solid media. Example; Agar
3. Introducing staining techniques
4. Proved role of bacteria in causing disease.
5. First to use hanging drop method by studying bacterial motility.
6. Koch’s postulates (1876) and Koch phenomenon

Koch’s Postulates or Koch’s Laws

According to Koch’postulates a microorganism can accepted as the causative agent of an infectious diseases only if the following conditions are satisfied –

1. Postulates I (Association)

The microorganism must be found in abundance in all organism suffering from disease. (should be regularly found in the lesions of disease).

2. Postulate II (Isolation)

The organism must be isolated from the diseased animal and grown in pure culture. (should possible to isolate the organism in pure culture from the lesions.)

3. Postulate III (Inoculation)

The isolated microorganism should cause the same disease when inoculated into healthy animal. ( Inoculation of pure culture into suitable laboratory animal should produce the lesion of diseases.

4. Postulate IV ( Reisolation)

The microorganism must be reisolated from the inoculated host and identify as being identical to original specific causative agent.

( It should be possible to reisolate the organism in pure culture from the lesions produce in the experimental animals.

Robert koch criteria for providing the causal relationship between microorganism and a specific disease are known as Koch’s postulates.

Koch’s phenomenon (1890)

Koch observed that a guinea pig already infected with the bacillus responded with an exaggerated response, when injected with the tubercle bacillus or its protein.

This Hypersensitivity reaction is known as koch’s phenomenon.

7. Paul Ehrlich (1854- 1915)

Father of chemotherapy

Applied strains to cell and tissue for study of their functions.

Proposed side chain theory of anybody production.

He coined term chemotherapy.

Introduced treatment of Syphilis.