Personal Exploration and the Unknown Frontier

Portrait of Marie Curie, by R. chido Hanečková

As expeditionary voyages became more common during the early Renaissance period this sense of exploration spread across the land.  It permeated the cultural atmosphere of Europe and led to a fascination with discovery. People were excited - and rightly so - as these explorers would bring back new ideas, new stories, and new possibilities.

But physical exploration isn't the only way to discover new worlds of possibility.  During the Reformation many people found their world expanded with a similar set of new possibilities: religious and ideological freedoms.  This brave new world of ideas and opportunity would be just as inspiring to the reformers as those voyages had been to the watching public.

The Father of Microbiology

Bacillus megaterium

This rod-shaped bacteria is Bacillus megaterium. This bacteria produces penicillin amides which is used to make commercial penicillin. I performed this gram stain last week, but scientist have been observing microbial life for much longer than that.

The first drawings of bacteria were done by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1676. Leeuwenhoek was what we would call today an optometrist. He made the lenses for peoples' glasses. As he experimented with ways to increase magnification, he developed the earliest form of a microscope, which looked rather like a glorified magnifying glass.

When he discovered the power of this microscope, he began looking at everything he could. Eventually, he had the idea to scrape plaque off people's teeth and examine it under the lens. That is when he saw microscopic little creatures and drew these images.

His drawings are detailed and accurate enough that scientists today can say with significant confidence which bacteria he observed. His discovery of microbial life earned him the title of "Father of Microbiology".

I think Leeuwenhoek's story is highly characteristic of the Enlightenment Era. With this sense of individualism from the Renaissance and the thrill of discovery from the voyages, amateurs everywhere were making monumental discoveries like this.

Image Credit: Courtney Hilton