Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Dutch tradesman and scientist

Date of Birth: 24-Oct-1632

Place of Birth: Delft, South Holland, Netherlands

Date of Death: 26-Aug-1723

Profession: physicist, inventor, zoologist, biologist, instrument maker

Nationality: Netherlands

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio


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About Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

  • Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek ( AHN-t?-nee vahn LAY-v?n-hook, -?huuk, Dutch: [?n'to?ni v?n 'le?u?(n)??uk] (listen); 24 October 1632 ā€“ 26 August 1723) was a Dutch businessman and scientist in the Golden Age of Dutch science and technology.
  • A largely self-taught man in science, he is commonly known as "the Father of Microbiology", and one of the first microscopists and microbiologists.
  • Van Leeuwenhoek is best known for his pioneering work in microscopy and for his contributions toward the establishment of microbiology as a scientific discipline. Raised in Delft, Dutch Republic, van Leeuwenhoek worked as a draper in his youth and founded his own shop in 1654.
  • He became well recognized in municipal politics and developed an interest in lensmaking.
  • In the 1670s, he started to explore microbial life with his microscope.
  • This was one of the notable achievements of the Golden Age of Dutch exploration and discovery (c.
  • 1590sā€“1720s). Using single-lensed microscopes of his own design, van Leeuwenhoek was the first to experiment with microbes, which he originally referred to as dierkens, diertgens or diertjes (Dutch for "small animals" [translated into English as animalcules, from Latin animalculum = "tiny animal"]).
  • Through his experiments, he was the first to relatively determine their size.
  • Most of the "animalcules" are now referred to as unicellular organisms, although he observed multicellular organisms in pond water.
  • He was also the first to document microscopic observations of muscle fibers, bacteria, spermatozoa, red blood cells, crystals in gouty tophi, and blood flow in capillaries.
  • Although van Leeuwenhoek did not write any books, his discoveries came to light through correspondence with the Royal Society, which published his letters.

Read more at Wikipedia

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