The Scanning Microscope and Leeuwenhoek's Legacy (infocus #73 March 2024)

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.261

Their maker, Antony van Leeuwenhoek, was the first microbiologist in history. He died 300 years ago, having shown us protozoa, bacteria, and spermatozoa for the first time. His work on plant anatomy was remarkably accurate, and he did much to dispel the dogma of spontaneous generation.

I found his source of inspiration in Robert Hooke’s great work Micrographia, which was published in 1665 and was the talking point of London society when Leeuwenhoek made a visit to England the following year.

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