Bacteriologists are the professionals trained in bacteriology which is a subdivision of microbiology. They examine the growth, structure, development, and other characteristics of bacteria in order to promote health and disease diagnosis and prevention. The beginnings of bacteriology corresponded with the development of the microscope, and the 17th century Dutch naturalist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek is believed to be the first person to see micro-organisms, including bacteria. The 19th century German physician Robert Koch was one of the founders of bacteriology. Another German, the naturalist and botanist Ferdinand Julius Cohn who became known for his studies of algae, bacteria, and fungi, is also considered a founder of bacteriology. He published many of the founding papers of bacteriology in the journal ‘Contributions to the Biology of Plants.’ Taking forward the work on bacteriology, Louis Pasteur established the connections between bacteria and the processes of fermentation and disease, and succeeded in immunizing animals against two diseases caused by bacteria. The Scottish biologist Sir Alexander Fleming was also a major authority in the field of bacteriology. This section provides you information about the life and works of famous bacteriologists from all over the globe.
This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.
Vote for Your Favourite Bacteriologists
Famous As: Physician and Microbiologist
Birthdate: August 6, 1881
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Darvel, East Ayrshire, Scotland
Died: March 11, 1955
Alexander Fleming was a Scottish microbiologist and physician. He is credited with discovering penicillin, the world's first effective antibiotic substance; a discovery that changed the course of history. He also discovered lysozyme, an antimicrobial enzyme which forms part of the innate immune system. In 1999, Fleming was named in Time magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th century list.
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: December 11, 1843
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
Died: May 27, 1910
Robert Koch was a German microbiologist and physician. One of the prominent co-founders of modern bacteriology, Koch is credited with creating and improving laboratory techniques and technologies in the field of microbiology. He is also credited with making important discoveries in public health. In 1905, Robert Koch won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on tuberculosis.
Famous As: Former bacteriologist noted for his development of the Gram stain
Birthdate: September 13, 1853
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Died: November 14, 1938
Hans Christian Gram was a Danish bacteriologist best remembered for developing a technique called Gram stain, which is still used today to classify bacteria. He achieved international recognition after developing the Gram stain technique. Hans Christian Gram also served as a professor at the University of Copenhagen.
Celebrities Born On My Birthday?
Famous As: Neurophysiologist
Birthdate: November 27, 1857
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Islington, London, England
Died: March 4, 1952
Charles Scott Sherrington was an English histologist, neurophysiologist, pathologist, and bacteriologist. In 1932, Sherrington and Edgar Douglas Adrian were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of the functions of neurons. Charles Scott Sherrington's exposition of synaptic communication between neurons helped understand the central nervous system. He was also the recipient of the prestigious Royal Medal.
Famous As: Discoverer of Yersinia Pestis
Birthdate: September 22, 1863
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Aubonne, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland
Died: March 1, 1943
Alexandre Yersin was a physician and bacteriologist. He is credited with co-discovering Yersinia pestis, the bacillus that causes the bubonic plague. Also an agriculturist, Yersin pioneered the cultivation of rubber trees. He is revered by the Vietnamese people because of his association with Hanoi Medical University; a private university in Da Lat is named in his honor.
Famous As: Pathologist and Bacteriologist
Birthdate: October 30, 1895
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Łagów, Poland
Died: April 24, 1964
Nobel Prize-winning German pathologist and bacteriologist Gerhard Domagk is best remembered for his pathbreaking discovery of Prontosil, the first sulfonamide antibiotic. The Nazis, however, didn’t allow him to accept the Nobel Prize immediately and detained him briefly instead. He had also served as a soldier in World War I.
Famous As: Bacteriologist
Birthdate: December 4, 1908
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Owosso, Michigan, United States
Died: May 22, 1997
Nobel Prize-winning biologist Alfred Day Hershey is best remembered for his research on bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria. He was associated with the Washington University throughout most of his life. He is also known for his blender experiment, which he conducted with his work partner Martha Chase.
You May Like
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: January 29, 1853
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Oguni, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
Died: June 13, 1931
Famous As: Bacteriologists
Birthdate: March 15, 1860
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Odesa, Ukraine
Died: October 26, 1930
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: April 8, 1850
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Norfolk Historic District, Connecticut, United States
Died: April 30, 1934
Famous As: Founder of Bacteriology and Microbiology
Birthdate: January 24, 1828
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Wrocław, Poland
Died: June 25, 1898
Ferdinand Cohn was a German biologist who is credited with co-founding microbiology and modern bacteriology. Apart from publishing more than 150 research reports, Cohn also made significant contributions to the field of botany. He was also the first person to classify algae as plants. Ferdinand Cohn received the prestigious Leeuwenhoek Medal in 1885.
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: July 12, 1863
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Nice, France
Died: October 29, 1933
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: August 11, 1858
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Nijkerk
Died: November 5, 1930
Nobel Prize-winning Dutch physician and pathologist Christiaan Eijkman was the first to prove that poor diet is the cause of the disease beriberi, which in turn led to the discovery of vitamins. While he initially worked in the Dutch East Indies, he later collaborated with Robert Koch in his Berlin laboratory.
Famous As: Bacteriologist
Birthdate: September 21, 1866
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Rouen, France
Died: February 28, 1936
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: July 9, 1879
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Oliveira, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Died: November 8, 1934
Carlos Chagas was a Brazilian sanitary physician and bacteriologist. Also a clinician and researcher, he discovered Chagas disease, also called American trypanosomiasis, in 1909. He was working at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro at that time. He was also the first to discover the parasitic fungal genus Pneumocystis. He founded a nursing school as well.
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: December 17, 1853
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Confolens (Charente), France
Died: November 3, 1933
Famous As: One of the founders of modern microbiology
Birthdate: July 28, 1854
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: October 19, 1926
Famous As: Veterinarian
Birthdate: December 22, 1872
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Poitiers, France
Died: June 9, 1961
Famous As: Scientist
Birthdate: June 27, 1925
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland
Died: November 17, 2014
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: February 7, 1871
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Miyagi, Japan
Died: January 25, 1957
Famous As: Bacteriologist
Birthdate: August 10, 1861
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Middleton Tyas, England
Died: April 30, 1947
Famous As: Scientist
Birthdate: May 12, 1874
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: February 28, 1929
Famous As: Pathologist
Birthdate: February 6, 1834
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Königsberg, Kingdom of Prussia
Died: October 23, 1913
Famous As: Bacteriologist
Birthdate: June 24, 1852
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany
Died: April 9, 1915
Famous As: Pathologist
Birthdate: July 31, 1859
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Albany, New York, United States
Died: December 10, 1934
Famous As: Bacteriologist
Birthdate: September 3, 1888
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Jonesboro, Georgia, United States
Died: May 12, 1962
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: November 17, 1878
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: September 4, 1940
Famous As: Bacteriologist
Birthdate: December 27, 1860
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Skippack, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: September 5, 1937
Famous As: Bacteriologist
Birthdate: February 21, 1866
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bamberg, Germany
Died: March 16, 1925
Famous As: Was a Noted Argentine Physician, Epidemiologist
Birthdate: June 6, 1886
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Rauch, Argentina
Died: November 9, 1946
Best remembered for his fight against American trypanosomiasis, Salvador Mazza had to face governmental apathy as well as active resistance from powerful quarters while carrying on his research. Yet, he continued with his mission, setting up his first laboratory in a railway car in Argentina’s underdeveloped north, eventually forcing the South American medical community to accept the validity of trypanosomiasis.
Famous As: Surgeon
Birthdate: December 14, 1852
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Hobart, Australia
Died: April 19, 1932
Watson Cheyne was a Scottish bacteriologist and surgeon best remembered for pioneering the implementation of antiseptic surgical methods in the UK. Cheyne is also known for his association with King's College Hospital, where he served as a surgeon from 1880 to 1917. From 1900 to 1901, he served as a consulting surgeon during the Boer War in South Africa.
Famous As: Bacteriologist
Birthdate: December 16, 1850
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Munich, Germany
Died: April 5, 1902
Famous As: Bacteriologist
Birthdate: July 5, 1862
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Died: December 16, 1937
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: June 3, 1868
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Camagüey, Cuba
Died: August 19, 1931
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: July 21, 1881
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States
Died: October 10, 1967
Famous As: Physician
Birthdate: March 2, 1883
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Guildford, England
Died: September 27, 1967
Famous As: Bacteriologist
Birthdate: October 28, 1911
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Died: March 14, 2006