* He is best known for his pioneering work in microscopy and for his contributions towards the establishment of microbiology as a scientific discipline.
* First to observe living microbes ( Bacteria ) using his own handcrafted microscope.
* His single - lens magnified 70- 250X magnification.
* Between 1647 - 1723 he wrote series of papers describing his observation of bacteria, algae, protozoa and fungi ( Little animalcules).
* He was not the first person to build a microscope, but the microscopes that he did build were the best ones for that time period.
* 1683 - Royal Society of London published descriptions of various drawings of bacteria by Leeuwenhoek.
Leeuwenhoek carefully recorded his observations in a series of letters to the British Royal Society. In one of the first letters, dated September 7, 1674 addressed to Henry Oldenburg, Secretary of the Royal Society he described the "Very little animalcules" which we recognize as free - living protozoa. On October 9, 1676, he wrote.
In the Year 1675, I discovered living creatures in rain water which had stood but a few days in a new earthen pot, glazed blue within.
Dutch student of natural history whose hobby was making microscope is shown here with one of the more than 250 microscopes that he made. His best lenses were capable of magnifications up to X270, and he was the first person to report descriptions of microorganisms in details. Couitosy of Lambert-Hudnut.
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Antony Van Leeuwenhoek