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Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek (, ; October 24, 1632 – August 26, 1723) was a Dutch tradesman and scientist. He is commonly known as "the Father of Microbiology", and considered to be the first microbiologist. He is best known for his work on the improvement of the microscope and for his contributions towards the establishment of microbiology. Raised in Delft, Netherlands, Van Leeuwenhoek worked as a draper in his youth, and founded his own shop in 1654. He made a name for himself in municipal politics, and eventually developed an interest in lensmaking. Using his handcrafted microscopes, he was the first to observe and describe microorganisms, which he originally referred to as ''animalcules''. Most of the "animalcules" are now referred to as unicellular organisms though he observed multicellular organisms in pond water. He was also the first to document microscopic observations of muscle fibers, bacteria, spermatozoa, and blood flow in capillaries (small blood vessels). Van Leeuwenhoek did not author any books; his discoveries came to light through correspondence with the Royal Society, which published his letters. ==Early life and career== Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was born in Delft, Dutch Republic, on October 24, 1632. On 4 November he was baptized as ''Thonis''. His father, Philips Antonisz van Leeuwenhoek, was a basket maker who died when Antonie was only five years old. His mother, Margaretha (Bel van den Berch), came from a well-to-do brewer's family, and remarried Jacob Jansz Molijn, a painter. Antonie had four older sisters, Margriet, Geertruyt, Neeltje, and Catharina.〔Dobell, pp. 19–21.〕 When he was around ten years his step-father died. He attended school in Warmond for a short time before being sent to live in Benthuizen with his uncle, an attorney. At the age of 16 he became a bookkeeper's apprentice at a linen-draper's shop in Amsterdam〔Dobell, pp. 23–24.〕 owned by the Scottish William Davidson. Van Leeuwenhoek married Barbara de Mey in July 1654, with whom he would have one surviving daughter, Maria (four other children died in infancy). That same year he returned to Delft, where he would live and study for the rest of his life. He opened a draper's shop, which he ran throughout the 1650s. His wife died in 1666, and in 1671 Van Leeuwenhoek remarried Cornelia Swalmius, with whom he had no children.〔Dobell, pp. 27–31.〕 His status in Delft had grown throughout the years. In 1660 he received a lucrative job as chamberlain for the Delft sheriffs' assembly chamber in the City Hall, a position which he would hold for almost 40 years. In 1669 he was appointed as a land surveyor by the Court of Holland; at some time he combined it with another municipal job, being the official "wine-gauger" of Delft and in charge of the city's wine imports〔Dobell, pp. 33–37.〕 and (wine) taxation. Van Leeuwenhoek was a contemporary of another famous Delft citizen, the painter Johannes Vermeer, who was baptized just four days earlier. It has been suggested that he is the man portrayed in two of Vermeer's paintings of the late 1660s, ''The Astronomer'' and ''The Geographer''. However, others argue that there appears to be little physical similarity. Because they were both relatively important men in a city with only 24,000 inhabitants, it is likely that they were at least acquaintances, because Van Leeuwenhoek acted as the executor of Vermeer's will, after the painter died in 1675.〔Van Berkel, K. (February 24, 1996). ''Vermeer, Van Leeuwenhoek en De Astronoom''. Vrij Nederland (Dutch magazine), p. 62–67.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Antonie van Leeuwenhoek」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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