2nd Period Spontaneous Generation to Germ Theory

By drwaldo
  • Aristotle
    322 BCE

    Aristotle

    founder of spontaneous generation theory
  • William Harvey

    William Harvey

    suggested that life came from invisible eggs by dissecting pregnant deer
  • Francesco Redi

    Francesco Redi

    meat in jars...
    maggots came from flies that could be excluded
  • Antonio Micheli

    Antonio Micheli

    can contaminate melon with fungal spores to grow the same fungus.
    spoilage comes from spreading spores
  • John Needham

    John Needham

    boiled broth, then sealed the jar, broth still spoiled
  • Joseph Priestly

    Joseph Priestly

    There is an early part of a plant or animal 'germ' that has everything needed to grow into the adult plant or animal with time and nutrition
  • Louis Pastur

    Louis Pastur

    Swan neck flask
    Boiled broth in open flask with access to air, but no dust. Broth did not spoil.