Fleming grew cultures of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium, in the laboratory.
He was also conducting experiments with Penicillium notatim, a mold. By acci-
dent the Staphylococcus aureus was contaminated with the Penicillium notatum,
causing the Staphylococcus to stop reproducing and die. Penicillium notatumbe-
came one of the first antibiotics. An antibioticis a substance that kills bacteria.
A summary of the scientists and their contributions can be found in Table 1-2.
CHAPTER 1 The World of the Microorganism^17
Fig. 1-9. Penicillium notatumis a fungus
that kills the staphylococcus aureus.Table 1-2. Scientists and Their Contributions
Year Scientist Contribution
1590 Zacharias Janssen Developed the first compound microscope.
1590 Robert Hooke Observed nonliving plant tissue of a thin slice of
cork.
1668 Francesco Redi Discovered that microorganisms did not spontane-
ously appear. His contribution led to the finding that
killing the microorganism that caused the disease
could prevent the disease.
1673 Antoni van Invented the single-lens microscope, grinding the
Leeuwenhoek microscope lens to improve magnification. First
person to view a living organism.
1798 Edward Jenner Developed vaccinations against disease-causing
microorganisms.