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Book Cover
E-book
Author Backer, Jantien, author

Title Antoni van Leeuwenhoek : master of the minuscule / by Lesley Robertson, Jantien Backer [and six others]
Published Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2016]

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Description 1 online resource (xviii, 228 pages)
Contents Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- List of Figures and Tables -- About the Authors -- Chapter 1 -- The Early Years -- Delft -- The House where Van Leeuwenhoek was Born -- Education in Warmond -- Amsterdam -- The Anglo-Dutch Wars -- Spinoza, Hudde and Swammerdam -- From Theory to Experimentation -- Chapter 2 -- Return to Delft -- "The Golden Head" -- Work for the Delft City Council -- Were Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and Johannes Vermeer Friends? -- A New Phase -- The Geographer and The Astronomer (1668) -- Chapter 3 -- Antoni's First Brush with Science -- Small Source, Major Inspiration -- Reinier de Graaf -- The Royal Society -- Henry Oldenburg (1619-1677) -- Hooke and His Influence on Van Leeuwenhoek -- Fellows of the Royal Society -- Constantijn Huygens, Supporter and Admirer -- Christiaan Huygens: Scepticism, Appreciation and a Hint of Jealousy -- A Spy Discovers the Secret -- Van Leeuwenhoek's Medical Friends: Something to Boast About? -- Chapter 4 -- Van Leeuwenhoek's Microscopes -- The First Microscopes: A Brief History -- Dutch Microscope Makers And Users -- Van Leeuwenhoek as an Instrument Maker -- Van Leeuwenhoek's Microscopes -- Van Leeuwenhoek's Home and Workshop -- 'Clear Vision' -- Dark Field Illumination -- Techniques for Preparing Specimens in Van Leeuwenhoek's Day -- Van Leeuwenhoek's Drawings and Draughtsmen -- What happened to Van Leeuwenhoek's microscopes? -- Copies of Van Leeuwenhoek's Microscopes -- Chapter 5 -- Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and His Microorganisms -- Everything Through His Microscopes -- Little Animals in Water -- Similes -- Microorganisms Described -- Athanasius Kircher and the vermiculi -- New Life in Vinegar, Pepper and Nutmeg -- Convincing the World -- Microorganisms in Animals -- Dental Plaque -- Exponential Growth -- Antoni van Leeuwenhoek: Giant Among the Minute
The Connection Between Microorganisms and Illness -- Too small for words -- Chapter 6 -- The Discovery of the "Semen Animalcules" or Spermatozoa -- The Visit of Johan Ham -- "Vessels" in the Semen -- Huygens and Hartsoeker in Paris -- Journal des Sçavans, 28: 15 August 1678, pages 331-2 -- The Jealous Rival -- Fleas are No Exception -- 46 Years of Research -- Chapter 7 -- Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and the Question of Generation -- William Harvey: Ex Ovo Omnia, the Rise of "Ovulism" -- Reinier de Graaf -- A Brilliant Anatomist -- The Death of De Graaf -- Illness or Suicide? -- A Bold Statement -- Van Leeuwenhoek and "Animalculism" -- In Search of the Homunculus -- A Missed Opportunity -- Researcher or Accountant? -- 'The Animalcules from the Male sperm derive from the first Man that was created' -- Van Leeuwenhoek as a Zealous Advocate of Animalculism -- On Parental Characteristics, Mules And Aphids -- Epigenesis and Preformation -- Ovulism and Animalculism -- Theological Objections -- The Solution of the Question of Generation -- Chapter 8 -- The Circulation of Blood -- The Heart: Source of Vital Force or Blood Pump -- "One and the same continuous vessel" -- "Aalkijker" -- "Particles of the blood that make it red" -- Scientific Importance -- Chapter 9 -- Secrets of Nature -- The Dragonfly With 25,088 Eyes -- The Coconut Tree, 'the most useful crop that the earth produces' -- 'Wool fibres between the toes' -- 'As if the Earth stood still' -- 'As though we saw pointed, polished diamonds' -- Moxa Against Gout -- Chapter 10 -- The Famous Van Leeuwenhoek -- Correspondents -- Frederik Adriaan and Maria van Renswoude -- Royal Visits -- Czar Peter the Great Tries the Microscopes -- Entertainer and Slave -- An Uninvited Guest -- Van Leeuwenhoek: Glorified or Vilified? -- Chapter 11 -- The End of a Long Life -- Publication Problems -- Collections of Letters
Honoured by Leuven -- His Final Achievement -- Who was Antoni van Leeuwenhoek? -- Chapter 12 -- The Scientific Legacy of Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek -- Microscopy -- Spontaneous Generation -- Infection and Disease -- The World of Microorganisms -- A Man of Note -- Biographies and Other Sources -- Timeline -- Afterword -- Bibliography -- Index
Summary 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
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
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes In English
Online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on June 08, 2016)
Subject Leeuwenhoek, Antoni van, 1632-1723.
SUBJECT Leeuwenhoek, Antoni van, 1632-1723 fast
Subject Microbiologists -- Netherlands -- Biography
Microscopy -- History
Biologists -- Netherlands -- Biography
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY -- Science & Technology.
SCIENCE -- Life Sciences -- Biology.
SCIENCE -- Life Sciences -- Microbiology.
Biologists
Microbiologists
Microscopy
Netherlands
Genre/Form Biographies
History
Biographies.
Biographies.
Form Electronic book
Author Robertson, Lesley (Lesley Anna), author
LC no. 2016016642
ISBN 9789004304307
9004304304
Other Titles Van Leeuwenhoek. English