Antoni van Leeuwenhoek : : master of the minuscule / / by Lesley Robertson, Jantien Backer ... [and others].

• Author: Backer, Jantien.
• TeilnehmendeR: Robertson, Lesley
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, [2016]
• Year of Publication: 2016
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (246 p.)
• Notes: "This English translation has been made by Peter Mason and Lesley Robertson.; "This book was originally published in Dutch, entitled Van Leeuwenhoek: Groots in het kleine, by Veen Media, Amsterdam (2014)" -- Title page verso.

In Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Master of the Minuscule , the Father of Microbiology is presented in the context of his time, relationships and the Dutch Golden Age. Although he lacked an academic education, he dedicated his life to investigating the microscopic world using handmade, single-lensed microscopes and magnifiers. An expert observer, he planned experiments and designed equipment to test his theories. His pioneering discoveries included blood cells, protozoa, bacteria and spermatozoa, and resulted in an international reputation among the scientific and upper classes of 17th and 18th century Europe, aided by his Fellowship of the Royal Society of London. This lavishly illustrated biography sets his legacy of scientific achievements against the ideas and reactions of his fellow scientists and other contemporaries.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- 1 The Early Years -- 2 Return to Delft -- 3 Antoni’s First Brush with Science -- 4 Van Leeuwenhoek’s Microscopes -- 5 Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and His Microorganisms -- 6 The Discovery of the “Semine genitali Animalculis” or Spermatozoa -- 7 Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and the Question of Generation -- 8 The Circulation of Blood -- 9 Secrets of Nature -- 10 The Famous Van Leeuwenhoek -- 11 The End of a Long Life -- 12 The Scientific Legacy of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek -- Timeline -- Afterword -- Selected Bibliography -- Index.