Microbiology plays a huge role in the development of mankind. The formation of science began as early as the 5-6th century BC. e. Already then it was assumed that many diseases are caused by invisible living things. A brief history of the development of microbiology, which is described in our article, will clarify how science was formed.
General information about microbiology. Subject and Tasks
Microbiology is a science that studies the life activity and structure of microorganisms. Microbes cannot be seen with the naked eye. They can be of either plant or animal origin. Microbiology is a fundamental science. To study the smallest organisms, the methods of other objects are used, such as physics, chemistry, biology, cytology.
There is general and private microbiology. The first studies the structure and vital functions of microorganisms at all levels. The subject of private study is individual representatives of the microworld.
The achievements of medical microbiology in the 19th century contributed to the development of immunology, which today is a general biological science. The development of microbiology took place in three stages. At the first, it was found that in nature there are bacteria that cannot be seen with the naked eye. At the second stage of formation, species were differentiated, and at the third stage, the study of immunity and infectious diseases began.
The tasks of microbiology are the study of the properties of bacteria. For research use instruments for microscopy. Thanks to this, you can see the shape, location and structure of bacteria. Often, scientists plant microorganisms in healthy animals. This is necessary for the reproduction of infectious processes.
Pasteur Louis
Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822 in the east of France. As a child, he was fond of art. Over time, he began to attract natural sciences. When Louis Pasteur turned 21, he went to Paris to study at the Higher School, after which he was to become a teacher of natural sciences.
In 1848, Louis Pasteur presented the results of his scientific work at the Paris Academy of Sciences. He proved that in tartaric acid there are two types of crystals that polarize light differently. This was a brilliant start to his career as a scientist.
Pasteur Louis is the founder of microbiology. Scientists before the beginning of his activity suggested that yeast form a chemical process. However, it was Pasteur Louis who, after conducting a series of studies, proved that the formation of alcohol during fermentation is associated with the vital processes of the smallest organisms - yeast. He found out that there are two types of such bacteria. One type creates alcohol, and the other - the so-called lactic acid, which spoils alcohol-containing drinks.
The scientist did not stop there. After a while, he found out that when heated to 60 degrees Celsius, unwanted bacteria die. He recommended the technique of gradual warming to winemakers and cooks. However, at first they reacted to this method negatively, believing that this would ruin the quality of the products. Over time, they realized that this method really positively affects the process of making alcohol. Today, the Pasteur Louis method is known as pasteurization. It is used to preserve not only alcohol-containing drinks, but also other products.
The scientist often thought about the formation of mold on products. After a series of studies, he realized that food spoils only if it comes into contact with air for a long period of time. However, if the air is heated to 60 degrees Celsius, the rotting process stops for a while. Products do not deteriorate and high in the Alps, where the air is rarefied. The scientist proved that mold is formed due to spores that are in the environment. The less they are in the air, the slower the food spoils.
The above studies have brought the scientist success. He was asked to study an unknown disease that affects silkworms and thereby threatens the economy. The scientist found out that the cause of the disease is a parasitic bacterium. He recommended that all mulberry trees and infected worms be destroyed. Silk manufacturers listened to the advice of scientists. Thanks to this, the silk industry of France was restored .
The popularity of the scientist grew. In 1867, Napoleon III ordered Pasteur to be provided with a well-equipped laboratory. It was there that the scientist created a rabies vaccine, thanks to which he became known throughout Europe. Pasteur died on September 28, 1895. The founder of microbiology was buried with all state honors.
Koch Robert
The contribution of scientists to microbiology has made a lot of discoveries in medicine. Thanks to this, mankind knows how to get rid of many diseases dangerous to health. It is believed that Koch Robert is a contemporary of Pasteur. The scientist was born in December 1843. Since childhood, he was interested in nature. In 1866, he graduated from university and received a medical diploma. After that he worked in several hospitals.
Robert Koch began the work of a bacteriologist. He focused on the study of anthrax. Koch examined the blood of sick animals under a microscope. The scientist found in it a lot of microorganisms that are absent in healthy representatives of the fauna. Robert Koch decided to plant them in mice. Subjects died a day later, and the same microorganisms were present in their blood. The scientist found out that anthrax is caused by pathogenic bacteria, which are in the form of sticks.
After successful research, Robert Koch began to think about studying tuberculosis. This is no coincidence, because in Germany (the birthplace and residence of the scientist) every seventh inhabitant died from this disease. At that time, doctors still did not know how to deal with tuberculosis. They believed that this was a hereditary disease.
For his first research, Koch used the corpse of a young worker who died from consumption. He examined all internal organs and did not find any pathogenic bacteria. Then the scientist decided to stain the preparations and examine them on glass. Once, examining under a microscope such a drug, painted in blue, Koch noticed small sticks between the tissues of the lungs. He instilled them in a guinea pig. The animal died a few weeks later. In 1882, Robert Koch spoke at a meeting of the Society of Physicians about the results of his research. Later, he tried to create a vaccine against tuberculosis, which, unfortunately, did not help, but is still used in diagnosing the disease.
A brief history of the development of microbiology at that time was of interest to many. The tuberculosis vaccine was created only a few years after the death of Koch. However, this does not reduce his merits in the study of this disease. In 1905, the scientist was awarded the Nobel Prize. Tuberculosis bacteria were named after the researcher - Koch's wand. The scientist died in 1910.
Vinogradsky Sergey Nikolaevich
Sergey Nikolaevich Vinogradsky is a well-known bacteriologist who has made a huge contribution to the development of microbiology. He was born in 1856 in Kiev. His father was a wealthy lawyer. After graduating from the local gymnasium, Sergei Nikolaevich was educated at the Conservatory of St. Petersburg. In 1877, he entered the second year of the Faculty of Natural Sciences. After graduating from it in 1881, the scientist devoted himself to the study of microbiology. In 1885, he went to study in Strasbourg.
Today, Sergei Nikolaevich Vinogradsky is considered the founder of the ecology of microorganisms. He studied the soil microbial community and divided all the microorganisms living in it into autochthonous and allochthonous. In 1896, Vinogradsky formulated the idea of life on Earth as a system of interconnected biogeochemical cycles that catalyze living things. His last scientific work was devoted to the taxonomy of bacteria. The scientist died in 1953.
The emergence of microbiology
A brief history of the development of microbiology, described in our article, will clarify how humanity began the fight against dangerous diseases. A person came across the vital processes of bacteria long before they were discovered. People fermented milk, used the fermentation of dough and wine. In the writings of a doctor from Ancient Greece, assumptions about the connection of dangerous diseases and special pathogenic fumes were named.
Confirmation was received by Anthony van Levenguk. By stepping off glass, he was able to create lenses that enlarged the subject under study by more than 100 times. Thanks to this, he was able to consider all the objects surrounding him.
He found out that the smallest organisms live on them. A complete and brief history of the development of microbiology began precisely with the results of Levenguk's research. He could not prove the assumptions about the causes of infectious diseases, but the practical activities of doctors since ancient times confirmed them. The laws of the Hindus provided for preventive measures. It is known that things and homes of sick people succumbed to special treatment.
In 1771, a military doctor in Moscow disinfected things for the first time with plague patients and vaccinated people who came into contact with disease vectors. Microbiology topics are diverse. The most interesting is the one that describes the creation of a smallpox vaccine. It has long been used by the Persians, Turks and Chinese. Weakened bacteria were introduced into the human body, because it was believed that the disease was easier.
Edward Jenner (an English physician) noted that most people who have not had smallpox do not become infected by close contact with the carriers of the disease. Most often this was observed in milkmaids who became infected during milking of cows sick with smallpox. The doctor’s studies lasted 10 years. In 1796, Jenner introduced the blood of a sick cow to a healthy boy. After some time, he tried to instill in him the bacteria of a sick person. So the vaccine was created, thanks to which mankind got rid of the disease.
Contribution of domestic scientists
The discoveries in microbiology made by scientists from all over the world make it possible to understand how to cope with almost any disease. A considerable contribution to the development of science was made by domestic researchers. In 1698, Peter I met Levenguk. He showed him a microscope and showed a number of objects in an enlarged form.
During the formation of microbiology as a science, Lev Semenovich Tsenkovsky published his work in which he attributed microorganisms to plant organisms. He also used the Pasteur method to suppress anthrax.
A significant role in microbiology was played by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov. He is considered one of the founders of the science of bacteria. The scientist created the theory of immunity. He proved that many cells in the body can inhibit viral bacteria. His studies became the basis for the study of inflammation.
Microbiology, virology and immunology, as well as medicine itself at that time were of great interest to almost everyone. Mechnikov examined the human body and tried to understand why it is aging. The scientist wanted to find a way to extend his life. He believed that toxic substances that are formed due to the activity of putrefactive bacteria poison the human body. According to Mechnikov, it is necessary to populate the body with lactic acid microorganisms that inhibit putrefactive ones. The scientist believed that this way can significantly extend life.
Mechnikov studied many dangerous diseases, such as typhoid, tuberculosis, cholera and others. In 1886, he created a bacteriological station and a school of microbiologists in Odessa (Ukraine).
Technical Microbiology
Technical microbiology studies the bacteria that are used to create vitamins, certain drugs, and produce food. The main objective of this science is the intensification of technological processes in production (usually food).
The development of technical microbiology orients the specialist on the need for careful observance of all sanitary standards in the workplace. By studying this science, you can prevent product spoilage. The subject is most often studied by future food industry specialists.
Dmitry Iosifovich Ivanovsky
The basis for the creation of many other sciences was microbiology. The history of science began long before its public recognition. Virology was formed in the 19th century. This science does not study all bacteria, but only those that are viral. Its founder is Dmitry Iosifovich Ivanovsky. In 1887, he began researching tobacco diseases. He found crystalline inclusions in the cells of a diseased plant. Thus, he discovered pathogens of non-bacterial and non-protozoan nature, which were later called viruses.
Dmitry Iosifovich Ivanovsky published several works on the characteristics of physiological processes in diseased plants and the effect of oxygen on alcohol fermentation in yeast.
Ivanovsky presented the results of his research on diseased plants at a meeting of the Society of Naturalists. Dmitry Iosifovich also actively studied soil microbiology.
Educational literature
Microbiology is a science that cannot be studied in a few days. It plays an important role in the development of medicine. Books on microbiology allow you to independently study this science. In our article you can familiarize yourself with the most popular.
- Thermophilic Microorganisms (2011) is a book that describes the life of bacteria that live at high temperatures. They exist at great depths where heat comes from magma. The book contains articles by various scientists from all over the Russian Federation.
- "The Three Lives of the Great Microbiologist. A Documentary Tale of Sergey Nikolaevich Vinogradsky" is a book about the greatest scientist, the author of which is Georgy A. Zavarzin. It is written on the diaries of Vinogradsky. Scientists laid several major areas in microbiology (microbial, soil, chemosynthesis). The book will be extremely useful to future doctors and just curious people.
- "General Microbiology" written by Hans Schlegel is a publication that will allow you to get acquainted with the amazing world of bacteria. It is worth noting that Hans Schlegel is a world famous German microbiologist who is still alive. The publication has been updated and supplemented many times. It is believed that this is one of the best books on microbiology. She briefly describes the structure, as well as the process of vital activity and reproduction of bacteria. The book is easy to read. There is no unnecessary information in it.
- “Germs are good and bad. Our health and survival in the world” is a modern book written by Jessica Sachs and published last year. After improving sanitary conditions and the emergence of antibiotics, life expectancy in people has increased significantly. The book is devoted to the problem of the occurrence of immune diseases, which is associated with excessive concern for improving sanitary conditions.
- “Look what's inside you” is Rob Knight’s book. It was published last year. The book tells about microbes that live in different parts of our body. The author claims that microorganisms play a more important role than we previously thought.
The basis of the latest technology
Microbiology is the foundation of the latest technology. The world of bacteria is not yet fully understood. Many scientists have no doubt that thanks to microorganisms it is possible to create technologies that have no analogues. Biotechnology will serve as their basis.
In the development of coal and oil deposits, microorganisms are used. It is no secret that fossil fuels are already ending, despite the fact that humanity has been using it for about 200 years. In case of its exhaustion, scientists recommend using microbiological methods for producing alcohols from renewable sources of raw materials.
Biotechnology can cope with both environmental and energy problems. Surprisingly, microbiological processing of organic waste makes it possible not only to clean the environment, but also to obtain biogas, which is in no way inferior to natural. This method of obtaining fuel does not require extra costs. Already today in the environment there is a sufficient amount of material for processing. For example, only in the USA its about 1.5 million tons. .
To summarize
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