It is more or less a gospel truth that in science the ultimate credit, glory, and fame goes to the one
who actually succeeds to convince the world, and not to the one who first had conceived the original
concept and idea. Hence, in the development of microbiology the most popular and common names
are invariably of those researchers/scientists who not only convinced the world in general, but also
developed a tool or a specific technique or an idea (concept) which was virtually adopted or who expatiated
their observations/findings rather vividly or astronomically that the science grew and prospered in
particular.
Evidence from the literature reveals that Antony van Leeuwenhoek’s (1632-1723) lucid explanations
with regard to the ubiquitous (i.e., found everywhere) nature of the microbes practically enabled
Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) almost after two centuries to discover the involvement of these microorganisms
in a variety of fermentation reaction procedures that eventually permitted Robert Koch (1843-
1910), Theobald Smith, Pasteur and many others to establish and ascertain the intimate relationship of
the various types of microbes with a wide range of dreadful human diseases. In fact, Robert Koch
bagged the most prestigious Nobel prize in the year 1905 for his spectacular and wonderful discovery
for the isolation and characterization of the bacteria that cause anthrax*** and tuberculosis.****
With the passage of time the ‘mankind’ has won several gruesome battles with dreadful microorganisms
quite successfully and have adequately mustered the knack not only to make them work in an
useful and beneficial manner but also to control and prevent some of those that are rather dangerous and
harmful in nature.
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