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Aug 27, 1476
Girolamo Fracastoro
In 1546 he proposed that epidemic diseases are caused by transferable tiny particles or "spores" that could transmit infection by direct or indirect contact or even without contact over long distances. -
Francesco Redi
First to challenge spontaneous generation by proving that maggots come from the eggs of flies. -
Antonie van Leeeuwenhoek
He is commonly known as "the Father of Microbiology", and considered to be the first microbiologist. He is best known for his work on the improvement of the microscope and for his contributions towards the establishment of microbiology. -
John Needham
Experimented with spontaneous generation, was later proven wrong by Spallanzani. -
Lazarro Spallanzani
Performed experiments that helped disprove the theory of spontaneous gneration. -
Edward Jenner
Created the vaccine responsible for the immunization and eradication of small pox. -
Theodor Schwann
His many contributions to biology include the development of cell theory, the discovery of Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system, the discovery and study of pepsin, the discovery of the organic nature of yeast, and the invention of the term metabolism. -
Ignaz Semmelweiss
Discovered that washing hands reduced incidences of puerperal fever in hospitals, however this was not verified until years after his death. Great contributor to the germ theory. -
John Tyndall
His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he made a number of discoveries in the realms of infrared radiation and the physical properties of air. -
Louis Pasteur
He reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and created the first vaccines for rabies and anthrax. His medical discoveries provided direct support for the germ theory of disease and its application in clinical medicine. He is best known to the general public for his invention of the technique of treating milk and wine to stop bacterial contamination, a process now called pasteurization. -
Theodor von Dusch
He demonstrated that a filter made of cotton-wool was effective in removing microbes such as bacteria from air. -
Joseph Lister
Lister successfully introduced carbolic acid (now known as phenol) to sterilise surgical instruments and to clean wounds, which led to a reduction in post-operative infections and made surgery safer for patients. -
Robert Koch
Discovered the causes of tuberculosis, anthrax, and cholera. Known as the founder of modern bacteriology. -
Charles Chamberland
In 1884 he developed a type of filtration known today as the Chamberland filter or Chamberland-Pasteur filter, a device that made use of an unglazed porcelain bar.[1] The filter had pores that were smaller than bacteria, thus making it possible to pass a solution containing bacteria through the filter, and having the bacteria completely removed from the solution. -
Aristotle 350 BC
First to propose the idea of spontaneous generation. -
Avery–MacLeod–McCarty experiment
Experiment that discovered that DNA is the substance that causes bacterial transformation, not proteins.