Little animals observed by Antony van Leeuwenhoek

Abstract

Antony van Leeuwenhoek is the discoverer of bacteria and other microorganisms. However, his name is currently not as well-known as those of Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch or Shibasaburo Kitasato. Why not? To answer this question I read a book published in 1932 by Clifford Dobell, an English protozoologist, and found some answers. First, Leeuwenhoek was not a professional scientist in any university or scientific institute, but merely an average citizen in Delft, Holland, working as a merchant in his own shop, and later he also served as an office-holder in Delft city hall. Second, he made and invented his own microscopes but never made his work on microscopes and observation techniques widely known to the public. Accordingly, after his death, his excellent techniques for observing microorganisms were not handed down to the next generation and eventually became forgotten by the scientific community. Although he did not write any scientific paper, he did write about his observations in many letters addressed to the Royal Society of London. Dr. Dobell had translated most of them into English and included them in his book. I picked up and translated several of these letters into Japanese and have included them in this review to show how he described his observations and also what he thought about the presence of such small animals invisible to the naked eye. By reading this review I hope you will come to understand the efforts and abilities of a citizen in Delft about 340 years ago.

Gene Regulation, Two Component Regulatory Systems, and Adaptive Responses in Treponema Denticola

“…However, this represents only a small subset of the total oral population (Paster et al 2001). The complexity and remarkable nature of the bacterial population in the oral cavity were noted over 340 years ago by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, a "non-scientist" merchant in Holland who documented his observations in unpublished personal notes later recounted by others (Amako 2014). Through microscopic examination of "spittle", van Leeuwenhoek described the presence of "….an unbelievably great company of living animalcules a swimming more nimbly than any I had seen up to this time.…”

Clinical data to be used as a foundation to combat Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy

“…One of the first microbe-hunters was Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, who used handcrafted lenses to identify “little animalcules” in standing rain water, sea water, and human teeth scrapings; their significance to human health and disease was unappreciated at the time. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 After Leeuwenhoek's death, his excellent techniques for observing microorganisms were not passed down, and eventually were forgotten by the scientific community. 7 Although he did not write any scientific paper, Leeuwenhoek did write about his observations in many letters addressed to the Royal Society of London.…”

“… 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 After Leeuwenhoek's death, his excellent techniques for observing microorganisms were not passed down, and eventually were forgotten by the scientific community. 7 Although he did not write any scientific paper, Leeuwenhoek did write about his observations in many letters addressed to the Royal Society of London. 7 In 1935, the development of the electron microscope enabled Wendell Stanley to be the first scientist to crystallize the structure of the tobacco mosaic virus and discover that it is composed of RNA and protein.…”

“… 7 Although he did not write any scientific paper, Leeuwenhoek did write about his observations in many letters addressed to the Royal Society of London. 7 In 1935, the development of the electron microscope enabled Wendell Stanley to be the first scientist to crystallize the structure of the tobacco mosaic virus and discover that it is composed of RNA and protein. Further, in 1943 Stanley was able to isolate the Influenza B virus, which contributed to the development of an influenza vaccine.…”

“…Stanley was awarded the 1946 Nobel Prize for his discoveries that unlocked the mystery and nature of viruses which had puzzled scientists for over 40 years and advanced the science of virology. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10…”