Sample Chapter(s)
Chapter 1: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723): The First Microbiologist (523 KB)

Pasteurization, penicillin, Koch's postulates, and gene coding. These discoveries and inventions are vital yet commonplace in modern life, but were radical when first introduced to the public and academia. In this book, the life and times of leading pioneers in microbiology are discussed in vivid detail, focusing on the background of each discovery and the process in which they were developed — sometimes by accident or sheer providence.
Dr King-Thom Chung is a professor of Microbiology and Molecular Toxicology at the University of Memphis. He pioneered research on azo-induced cancer. His work on the genotoxicology of aromatic amines which metabolize from azo dyes led to the abatement of several azo dyes and their metabolic products, aromatic amines, to be used in industries in the European Union.

Dr Jong-Kang Liu is a professor of Microbiology and Director for the Biotechnology Center at the National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. His main research interest is environmental microbiology, and he has developed many bacterial strains that can degrade various industrial pollutants such as cyanide, dioxin, trichloroethylene, and pentachlorophenol.

Authors

Pioneers in Microbiology: The Human Side of Science