Question

Which microbiologist made first simple microscope to see the presence of tiny living organisms present in pond water?

• A. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
• B. Zaccharias Janssen
• C. Robert Hooke
• D. Robert Brown

Hint:

Associate names with key discoveries: Leeuwenhoek \(\rightarrow\) "animalcules" (microbes), Hooke \(\rightarrow\) "cell" (from cork), Brown \(\rightarrow\) nucleus.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks to identify the historical figure credited with the first observation of microorganisms.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's look at the contributions of each scientist:
\[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{1. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723): A Dutch cloth merchant, he is known as the "Father of Microbiology." He crafted high-quality single-lens microscopes and was the first person to observe and meticulously describe single-celled organisms, which he called "animalcules" (now known as microorganisms), from samples like pond water and tooth scrapings. } \\ \bullet & \text{2. Zaccharias Janssen (c. 1585-1632): He was a Dutch spectacle-maker who is often credited, along with his father Hans, with inventing the first compound microscope around 1590. However, he is not known for using it to observe microorganisms. } \\ \bullet & \text{3. Robert Hooke (1635-1703): An English scientist who, in his book *Micrographia* (1665), coined the term "cell" after observing the structure of cork under a compound microscope. He observed the cell walls of dead plant cells, not living microorganisms. } \\ \bullet & \text{4. Robert Brown (1773-1858): A Scottish botanist who discovered and named the cell nucleus in orchids in 1831. He also described Brownian motion. } \\ \end{array}\] Therefore, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was the first to see and describe living microorganisms.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was the microbiologist who first used a simple microscope to see tiny living organisms in pond water.