Antonie van Leeuwenhoek: biography of this Dutch scientist

The world of microbiology conditions our existence, even if we are not able to observe its members with the naked eye. Bacteria are the second largest producers of carbon on Earth, since they contribute neither more nor less that 70 gigatonnes of global organic matter, that is, 15% of that present in all ecosystems. From the synthesis of oxygen to the regulation of biogeochemical cycles, bacteria and archaea are essential for life.

In any case, it is not necessary to go very far to discover the functionality of these fascinating microscopic beings. A true specialized microbial ecosystem proliferates within our gastrointestinal system, which helps us digest foods of plant origin, it prevents the colonization of pathogenic agents and, in addition, it guides our immune system in the first vital stages towards the path of specialization. From the skin to the intestine, we can perceive an undeniable reality: we are, in part, our microorganisms.

To run in the realm of microbiological research like we do today, someone had to step into the past and lay the foundation for what we now perceive as obvious. Stay with us, for today

We will tell you all about Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek, or Anton van Leeuwenhoek, considered the "Father of Microbiology", through a biography of this scientist.

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Brief biography of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

“My work, which I have been doing for a long time, was not pursued to achieve the admiration that today joy, but mainly from a craving for knowledge, which I feel resides in me more than in most others. men. Therefore, whenever I discovered something remarkable, I thought it my duty to put it down on paper, so that every ingenious person may be informed of it."

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, June 12, 1716.

With this illuminating quote, we dive straight into the life of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, one of the first microscopists and microbiologists to set foot on the face of the Earth. This fascinating thinker was born on October 24, 1632, in the city of Delft (South Holland), son from a family that was less than modest: his father made baskets, while his mother's family was brewer.

We are not going to dwell too much on the particularities of his childhood, since it is enough for us to know that we are dealing with a very atypical microbiologist: he did not have fortunes, he did not obtain a higher education nor did he graduate as a university student, since he dedicated his first working years to work as a merchant, surveyor, wine taster and minor officer of a city. As you can see, in rare cases, genius is not found between books.

In any case, Leeuwenhoek enjoyed a strong reputation in the city of Delft, as he owned a textile shop and did multiple jobs for local government organizations.

Leeuwenhoek and microscopes

Unlike other thinkers of the moment, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek's discoveries rest solely on his ability to manufacture lenses of an exceptional nature. When he was working in the textile industry, this genius became interested in these optical devices, as he wanted to perfect his spinning techniques by taking a closer look at the materials.

There are several ways to create lenses from commonly used materials (such as burning glass from glass containers). soft drinks or forming biconcave areas from bubbles in crystalline materials), but the reality is that, To this day, no one knows how Leeuwenhoek made his lenses.. Fortunately or unfortunately, it is a secret that this thinker took with him to the grave.

In the year 1665, the English scientist Robert Hooke published the work micrographia, in which, for the first time in the history of humanity, drawings of images collected through optical microscopy techniques appear. It contained magnified versions of inert objects (such as ice and snow), observations on the animal kingdom, detailed cork pieces, and much more. This work was a true milestone for science, because for the first time we realized as a species that, behind our eyes, there was a whole world to discover.

Surely Leeuwenhoek thought the same as us, since he visited London in the year 1668 and it is believed that he could have had in his hands a copy of micrographia. This work describes how a powerful microscope can be made using spherical lenses, very similar to those created by Leeuwenhoek. to analyze his textile samples: as they say in many parts of the world, hunger surely combined with the desire to eat.

From here, the rest is history. Leeuwenhoek is believed to have made more than 500 microscopes in his lifetime, only about 10 of which survive today. Without going any further, the Museum of Human Evolution of Burgos exhibited in Spain in 2017 one of these few microscopes dated as "official", being the main piece of "Vermeer's friend. The eye and the lens".

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The discoveries of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Concentrating everything that this thinker did in a few lines is a real challenge, since he is not in vain known as the father of microbiology. In any case, we will cite some of his most relevant discoveries in the following lines.

In 1674, Leeuwenhoek made what may be his most important discovery: dating the existence of single-celled microscopic organisms.. In a letter written this year, the thinker described in text the observations that he had detected when analyzing microscopically a sample of water from a lake, including an extremely detailed description of specimens of Spirogyra, protists with chloroplasts arranged in the form of a helix.

During this same year, Leeuwenhoek he observed under a microscope a blood sample with red blood cells, which had been discovered 6 years ago. With the magnificence of his lens, he was able to describe the atypical shape of these blood cells, the functionality of which we know perfectly well today.

Beyond all these essential discoveries, Leeuwenhoek first described bacterial plaque (from samples from his own mouth), various types of bacteria, existence of vacuoles in plant cells, the spermatozoon and its functionality or the nature of the tissue muscular. All these things may seem obvious today, but without a doubt, each discovery in his day was a revolution for the scientific community.

The fact of discovering spermatozoa is also cited as one of the greatest milestones in his career, because thanks to him We know, to this day, that two haploid cells (egg and sperm) must unite to give rise to a zygote. functional. He also found many other beings of a microscopic nature that inhabit ecosystems, such as various nematodes and rotifers, which remain under investigation even today.

The legacy of this scientist, and final reflection

It is estimated that, by the date of his death (1723, aged 90), Leeuwenhoek he had written more than 560 letters for the Royal Society (London Royal Society for the Advancement of Natural Science) and other entities of a scientific nature. In these writings, he recorded each and every one of his observations, with drawings and detailed descriptions. It is known that he sent letters to these institutions until practically the time of his death, including descriptions of the illness that led to his death.

The famous London biochemist Nick Lane describes Leeuwenhoek as follows: "the first even to think of looking—certainly, the first with the power to see do it)". He is not without reason, since the father of microbiology showed us that, in many cases, with the intrinsic genius and the the desire to know is enough to make a difference in the world, beyond studies, university degrees and power purchasing.

Leeuwenhoek opened the door to the world of the microscopic, all thanks to the lenses that he was able to manufacture and his tireless desire to learn. Today, we only have to ask ourselves: how many things will escape us as a species, since they have not been observed by the right eyes and under the appropriate prism?

Bibliographic references:

• Castellani, C. (1973). Spermatozoan biology from Leeuwenhoek to Spallanzani. Journal of the History of Biology, 37-68.
• Corliss, J. EITHER. (1975). Three centuries of protozoology: a brief tribute to its founding father, A. van Leeuwenhoek of Delft. The Journal of protozoology, 22(1), 3-7.
• Ford, b. J. (1981). The van Leeuwenhoek specimens. Notes and records of the Royal Society of London, 36(1), 37-59.
• Gest, H. (2004). The discovery of microorganisms by Robert Hooke and Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek, fellows of the Royal Society. Notes and records of the Royal Society of London, 58(2), 187-201.
• Harris, D. F. (1921). Anthony Van Leeuwenhoek the First Bacteriologist. The Scientific Monthly, 12(2), 150-160.
• Lane, N. (2015). The unseen world: reflections on Leeuwenhoek (1677) 'Concerning little animals'. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1666), 20140344.
• Porter, J. R. (1976). Antony van Leeuwenhoek: tercentenary of his discovery of bacteria. Bacteriological reviews, 40(2), 260.