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| Antonie van Leeuwenhoek |
While living organisms have been extensively studied for centuries,
the discovery that organisms are made up of cells is comparatively new
to the world. One of the reasons behind this could be the absence of
modern technology laboratory equipment. The 1595 invention of the
microscope made the cells visible for the first time.
The Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, commonly known as “the
Father of Microbiology”, was one of the first microscopists in history.
He committed himself to the discovery and research related to the
thus-far invisible world of biology, notable among them the discovery of
protozoa and the first-ever description of red blood cell.
Born on October 24, 1632 in Delft, The Netherlands, van Leeuwenhoek
was entirely self-taught and did not receive a formal degree. His
primitive approach, dismissing any type of scientific dogma, made him
think freely, and directed him only towards his own passion and
interests.
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was a salesman by profession who traded
household linen. He often took magnifying glasses to judge the quality
of cloth. Leeuwenhoek employed his own lenses of diamond shavings, which
he got from Delft-diamond cutters. He constructed his own microscopes
which were basically simple instruments consisting of a single lens. The
product, containing two metal plates set to each other with a fixed
lens in between, was however with high precision, and able to perform
magnifications of around 300x.
The object intended to be magnified was put on top of a movable metal
holder, and focusing took place by way of a screw provided at the back.
The whole thing was less than 10 cm in size.
Van Leeuwenhoek’s microscopes were actually very strong magnifying
glasses, having considerable similarities with the composite microscopes
of the time. It was Leeuwenhoek’s passion, skill and the quality to
illuminating the objects properly that made him discover the microscopic
objects. He analyzed things like tooth plaque, stagnant water, baker’s
yeast, sperm and blood.
Reinier de Graaf, a Delft physician, brought van Leeuwenhoek to the
Royal Society, where he published his uniquely detailed findings in
Dutch, consisting of only 200 letters.
Leeuwenhoek gained worldwide fame with these observations, however he
wrote in 1716 that he “did not strive for fame, but [was] driven by an
inner craving for knowledge”. This great scientist died on
