CHAPTER 2 



Highlights in the History of 

 Microbiology 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MICROSCOPE 

 THEORIES CONCERNING SPONTANEOUS GENERATION 

 THEORIES CONCERNING FERMENTATION 

 THEORIES CONCERNING DISEASE 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MICROSCOPE 



Studying the history of some subjects represents a necessary evil to 

 an undue number of individuals, but without some historical 

 foundation, modern students of science would miss a great deal 

 of the tingle that accompanied great and small discoveries. In 

 microbiology it is possible to look back with considerable pride at 

 the fascinating way in which small pieces of an intricate puzzle 

 have fallen into place to bring the picture to its present stature. 



Do you enjoy reading stimulating tales of adventure, such as 

 those conjured up by Robert Louis Stevenson and others? The 

 events described in these best sellers sound like commonplace 

 happenings when they are compared with the adventures of the 

 pioneers in microbiology. These scientists did not discover a mere 

 island or a simple continent, they opened up an entirely new world! 

 The discovery of microbes, some of which kill and maim, but others 



