HISTORY OF MICROBIOLOGY

SPONTANEOUS VS BIOGENESIS

PRESENTED BY:-
ARUN KUMAR SINGH
RG7901A01
What is Microbiology? qMicrobiology is the Science that
studies Microorganisms.
qMicroorganisms,, are those living
things that are too small to be
seen with the naked eye.
qFor example, many fungi are
microorganisms, as well as all
bacteria, all viruses, and most
protists.
 Spontaneous Generation vs
Biogenesis
• The hypothesis that living organisms
arise from nonliving matter is called
spontaneous generation. According to
spontaneous generation, a “vital force”
forms life.
The alternative hypothesis, that the
living organisms arise from preexisting
life, is called biogenesis
1500’s
Beforethe 1500’s most theories of disease
were based on superstition.
No knowledge of microorganisms.
Thought that you can get disease from
another person who was sick, but didn’t
know why.
1600’s
Van Leeuwenhoek observed what we now
call bacteria and protists, he called them
“animalcules”. Called “Father of Microbio.”

 1600’s

Francesco Redi 1668 Disproved Spontaneous
Generation.
It was thought that organisms arose from inorganic
or rotting organic material.
His experiment:Francesco took eight jars, placed
meat in all the jars, but covered four of the jars
with muslin. Maggots developed in the open jars but
did not develop in the muslin-covered jars.
Proving that organisms arose from parental
organisms- biogenesis
Francisco Redi

1668: Francisco Redi filled six jars with decaying

meat.
Conditions Results

Three jars covered with fine net No maggots

Three open jars Maggots appeared

From where did the maggots come?

What was the purpose of the sealed jars?
Spontaneous generation or biogenesis?
 Spontaneous Generation vs
Biogenesis
Needham vs Spallanzani
◦ Mid-1700s
◦ Spallanzani demonstrated that microbes do
not develop by spontaneous generation in
sterile nutrient media sealed in flasks
◦ Needham criticized Spallanzani’s work:
asserted that spontaneous generation
required fresh air in the flask
 Spontaneous Generation vs
Biogenesis
Pasteur
◦ Mid to late-1800s
◦ French chemist and a “founder” of the
modern science of microbiology
◦ Settled the Spallanzani-Needham debate
with the “swan-necked flask” experiment
◦ Worked on many important problems in
microbiology, most notably in vaccine
production
The Theory of Biogenesis
 Pasteur’s S-shaped flask kept microbes out but let
air in.

Figure 1.3
Louis Pasteur
1861: Louis Pasteur demonstrated that
microorganisms are present in the air.
Conditions Results
Nutrient broth placed in flask, Microbial growth
heated, not sealed
Nutrient broth placed in flask, No microbial growth
heated, then sealed
 Germ Theory of Disease


Robert Koch
Bacillus anthraxis- caused anthrax- could
take the blood of infected animals and
injected blood to healthy sheep and
healthy sheet got the disease.
Koch’s postulates- proves specific bacteria
cause a specific disease.
•

•
Koch’s postulates
1. Microorganism must be present in every case of
•

the disease.
 2. The microorganism must be isolated from the
diseased host and grown in pure culture.
 3. The disease must be reproduced when the
pure culture of the microorganism is inoculated
into a healthy animal.
 4. The organism must be recoverable from the
experimental infected host.
The Golden Age of
Bacteriology

 1877-1900 -diseases found caused by
bacteria.
◦ Tuberculosis
◦ Typhoid
◦ Staphlococcal disease
◦ Tetnus
◦ Diptheria
◦ Pneumococcus
◦ Cholera
◦ Gonococcus
◦ Meningeococcus
◦