Sec 1: Development of Microbiology

Development of Microbiology Microbiology is a broad term that means the study of living organisms that are too small to be seen with the unaided eye. Such organisms are called microorganisms or microorganisms.Microorganisms are found everywhere and some are beneficial for human life, but many are harmful, for example those that can cause various diseases. These microbes cover various scientific disciplines such as Bacteriology, Virology, Mycology, and Parasitology. Each of these sciences developed so that it became a separate and independent scientific discipline. The existence of microorganisms has actually been around for a long time but was only proven in 1632-1723 by a Dutch merchant named Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. Leeuwenhoekis an amateur scientist who devotes most of his time to his passion for sharpening lenses. Leeuwenhoek's observations regarding the shape of microorganisms from various sources (rainwater, barrel water, lake water, and tooth dirt) are still admired today. The first observations he made were on the forms of bacteria, yeast and algae, which he published in 1684. Because of his services, Leeuwenhoek is known as the doyen of bacteriology. After Leeuwenhoek died, research on microorganisms stopped somewhat, due to difficulties in developing microscopes and the belief that small microorganisms were not dangerous. Although Leeuwenhoek's observations were not fully ecognized until 200 years later, their presence coincided with the time when the theory of Generatio spontanea was being tested. The theory of spontaneous generation was developed to explain the presence of flies in rotting meat, rats in decomposing food and snakes in stagnant water. To be able to reject this theory, it is deemed necessary to carry out several experiments, including: a. Francisco Redi; He did a very simple experiment. By putting meat in in a container covered with a thin cloth with fine holes (to prevent flies from entering). Redi proved that maggots did not suddenly appear in rotting meat, but rather flies were attracted by rotting meat, then laid eggs on the cloth covering the container. The absence of maggots growing in rotting flesh provides evidence and at the same time argues against sudden development (generatio spontanea). In the 18th century, the theory of spontaneous generation for most forms of life was no longer considered, but there were still those who believed that microorganisms occurred suddenly. b. John Needham (1713 - 1781); In his book published in 1749 he stated that microorganisms grew in his ingredients when he boiled them and covered them and took other precautions he could. During this period there was controversy. c. Lazzaro Spalanzani (1729-1799); Lazzaro Spalanzani is a pastor who said that Needham had not taken adequate precautions to prevent airborne microorganisms from entering its concoctions. Like most people today, people living during Spalanzani's time found it difficult to accept a completely new concept, so his arguments went unnoticed and controversies about microorganisms arose. suddenly continued until a hundred years or the middle of the 19th century. d. Louis Pasteur and John Tyndall; The experiments of Louis Pasteur and John Tyndall rejected the theory of Generatio spontanea. Pasteur created concoctions by placing meat in bottles, then pulling the end of each bottle into a curved neck that allowed air in but kept out dust. Tyndall's work led to an interesting second experiment. He noticed that on some occasions, just boiling it for a few minutes would sterilize the straw concoction, whereas on other occasions even cooking for 5.5 hours was not enough. Over time he learned that there were heat-resistant bacteria which we now know as endospores. He found that if the concoction was heated to boiling for 10 minutes, forms that could not tolerate the heat or vegetative cells would be damaged. If this concoction is left overnight at room temperature, some of the endospores will grow into vegetative cells which are easily killed. e. Louis Pasteur; Louis Pasteur was an expert from France who studied the biological functions of microorganisms. Research is carried out mainly in terms of disease prevention, health improvement, and basic understanding of the life of microorganisms. Pasteur's most famous discoveries are: 1) Pasteurization 2) Fermentation process 3) Development of rabies and anthrax vaccines Microorganisms have a role in the fermentation process. In fermentation, which is a natural process, alcohol and organic acids (acetic acid, lactic acid) are produced from sugar. The occurrence of this fermentation process was a hot approach in the 19th century, so there were two opposing According to the non-vital (non-biological) theory, yeast in the fermentation process is a by-product and not the cause of the fermentation process. The cause is thought to come from unstable chemicals called ferment. Followers of the non-vital school do not suspect that the fermentation process can be caused by other microorganisms. At a later time it was discovered that the organisms producing acetic acid and lactic acid were bacteria (Lestanto Unggul