Famous Personalities in the History of Biology

The term “biology” was coined by the following:

  • Jean Baptiste de Lamarck - Hydrogéologie (about animal adaptation)

  • Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus - Philosophie der lebenden Notur

    • Biology is the science of life

  • Karl Friedrich Burdach - brain + nervous system; neuroanatomy

PRIMITIVE PERIOD

  • survival

  • obtaining food

  • materials for clothing (from animals) snd shelter (trees, cave)

  • substance to cure ailments (plants)

  • necessary information about the human body

    • accumulation of knowledge was not recorded

CLASSICAL PERIOD

  • began with the Greeks and continued with Romans

    • Greeks - spartan warriors; spartacus

    • Romans - fire ?

  • marks by great curiosity about the natural phenomena and an ability to organize knowledge and record it

ANCIENT BIOLOGY: FOUNDATIONS OF BIOLOGICAL THOUGHT

TSoPAAN - Thales, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander, N?

  • Thales of Miletus - first popular person in Ancient Greek known as natural philosopher

    • Father of Natural Philosophy

    • Natural philosophy - L. philosophia naturalis

      • philosophical study of nature and physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science

      • precursor of natural sciences

  • Hippocrates - Father of Medicine

    • Theory of Four Humours - The human body was thought to contain a mix of the four humors:

      • black bile (also known as melancholy)

      • yellow or red bile (choler)

      • blood

      • phlegm

    • Each individual had a particular humoral makeup, or “constitution,” and health was defined as the proper humoral balance for that individual. An imbalance of the humors resulted in disease. (ratio of 25:25:25:25)

  • Aristotle - student of Plato

    • Father of Biology

    • Father of Zoology

    • Father of Ancient Taxonomy

    • The Greatest Ancient Scientist who excelled in making observations

    • Publications:

      • Historia Animalium - compilation of animals he found in these 3 places

        • Asia Minor

        • Greece

        • Macedonia

      • De Partibus Animalium - comparative anatomy and physiology of animals

  • Theophrastus - pupil of Aristotle, pioneer study on nature of plants

    • Father of Botany/Plant Science

    • Publications:

      • Historia Plantarum - inquiry of plants

      • (On) The Cause of the Plants - fecundity/fertility

*Plato: Lyceum; Aristotle: Academy

MEDIEVAL BIOLOGY: PRESERVATION OF KNOWLEDGE

  • Galen of Pergamum/Pergamon

    • also known as: Aelius Galenus and Cladius Galenus

    • Ancient Greek physician, anatomist, philosopher that chose to practice medicine in Rome

    • discovered arteries carry blood

    • began to study human anatomy and carried out the 1st physiological experiment in animals

    • “Last Great Biologist in Antiquity”

  • Al Jariz of Saudi Arabia

    • animal evolution, environmental adaptation

  • Ibn Al-Nafis

    • Ala ad-Din Abu al-Hasan Ali Ibn Abi-Hazm-al-Qarshi

    • Father of Circulatory Physiology

    • identified the parts: heart, blood, arteries, veins, capillaries

RENAISSANCE AND EARLY MODERN BIOLOGY: REDISCOVERY AND OBSERVATION

  • Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci - artists

    • made accurate studies in plants, animals, human anatomy

    • curiosity of the structure of living things

  • Andreas Vesalius

    • first to perform public dissection on a human corpse/cadaver, a practice that was unusual in the Middle Ages due to spiritual beliefs

    • Publication: The Structure of the Human Body

  • William Harvey

    • discovered the circulation of blood

  • Anton Van Leeuwenhoek

    • Father of Microscopy

    • Father of Microbiology

    • first to observe protozoa and bacteria, called them “animalcules” - little animals

  • Robert Hooke

    • Father of Cytology

    • publication: Micrographia (1665) - using a cork made from oak tree, he coined the term “cell” - cell room

  • Francisco Redi

    • Father of Modern Parasitology

    • challenged the Spontaneous Generation Theory (abiogenesis)

      • living things arose from non-living things

18TH CENTURY BIOLOGY: CLASSIFICATION AND BIOLOGY

  • Carolus Linnaeus

    • Father of Modern Taxonomy

    • formalized the modern system of naming organisms called binomial nomenclature

    • formal system of naming organisms consists of two Latinized names: Genus and species (always italicized)

    • because Latin is considered a dead language, meaning it doesn’t change nor evolve

      Scientific name of Modern Humans: Homo Sapiens

      • Dream Ko Pumasa Coz Our Family Gets Sweldo

      • Domain: Eukarya

        Kingdom: Animalia
        Phylum: Chordates/Chordata

        Class: Mammalia/Mamma

        Order: Primates/Primata

        Family: Hominidae

        Genus: Homo

        Species: Sapiens

  • George-Louis Leclerc

    • species can change over time

    • did not finish his study

    • Comte de Buffon - refers to his noble rank and family name

19TH CENTURY BIOLOGY: EVOLUTION AND GENETICS

  • Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

    • Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de Lamarck

    • best known for his theories:

      • Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

      • Theory of Use and Disuse

  • Charles Robert Darwin

    • Father of Evolution/Evolutionary Biology

    • Publication: On the Origin of Species

    • December 1859 - he studied evolution on Galapagos Island with his ship HMS Beagle (Her/His Majesty’s Ship Beagle)

    • Natural Selection Theory

  • Gregor Johann Mendel

    • Father of Genetics

    • donated his book in a library which was later found by scientists

    • Austrian monk who spent 7 years to study genetics through his experiments on pea plants (Pisum sativum). used Statistics & Probability

    • discovered the Fundamental Laws of Inheritance

      1. Plant Height: Mendel observed and studied the variation in plant height, with some pea plants being tall and others being short.

      2. Seed Texture: He examined the differences in seed texture, including smooth and wrinkled seeds.

      3. Seed Color: Mendel investigated the variation in seed color, including green, yellow, and white.

      4. Flower Color: He studied the contrasting flower colors, including purple and white.

      5. Pea-pod Size: Mendel observed and recorded the differences in pea-pod size, with some pods being large and others being small.

      6. Pea-pod Color: He examined the variation in pea-pod color, including green and yellow.

      7. Flower Position: Mendel noted the differences in flower position, including terminal (at the tip of the stem) and axial (along the stem).

  • Louis Pasteur

    • Father of Modern Microbiology

    • Father of Immunology

    • developed medicine for rabies and anthrax

    • pasteurization - process which wastes and other substances are treated with mild heat to eliminate pathogens

  • Alfred Russel Wallace

    • Father of Biogeography

    • studied animals in Malay Peninsula

  • Matthias Jakob Schleiden

    • Father of Plant Cell Theory

  • Theodore Schwann

    • Father of Animal Cell Theory

  • Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow

    • “omnis cellula e cellula” - cell comes from cell

    • Father of Modern Pathology

  • William Whewell

    • coined the term “scientist”

  • Wilhelm Johannsen

    • geneticist, botanist, pharmacist in Denmark

    • 1903, his “pure line” genetics studies are what made him famous with his use of phrases:

      • gene - basic unit of heredity

      • phenotype - observable traits

      • genotype - genetic composition

  • Joseph Lister (listerine)

    • “antiseptic technique” - include steps and procedures to prevent contamination from pathogens or disease-causing organisms

  • Hugo de Vries

    • Father of Mutation

    • mutation - alteration caused by mutagens

    • Mutation Theory - living organisms can develop changes to their genes that greatly alter organisms

      • in plants - good

      • in animals/humans - bad

    • shared a similar study and discovered Mendel’s work about genetics, together with his colleagues:

      • Carl Correns

      • Erich Von Tschermak

  • Alexander Fleming

    • Father of Antibiotics

    • discovered penicillin - antibiotic drug made by a fungus Penicillum notatum

    • accidental discovery was known as “serendipity”

  • Herbert Spencer

    • coined the term “survival of the fittest”

  • Robert Brown

    • discovered nucleus within cells

    • Brownian movement - cytoplasmic streaming movement inside the cell

  • Edward Jenner

    • Father of Vaccinology

    • small pox vaccine - came from cowpox, hence the origin “vacca”

  • Robert Koch

    • Father of Bacteriology

    • Germ Theory of Disease - microorganisms can lead to disease

    • discovered the Bacillus Anthracis and Tubercle Bacillus

20TH CENTURY BIOLOGY: MODERN GENETICS & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

  • Thomas Hunt Morgan

    • study of fruit fly or Drosophila melanogaster

    • chromosome theory of heredity, crossbreed

      Chromosome structure.

  • Barbara Mcclintock

    • Mother of Modern Cytogenetics

    • jumping genes - gene inside the cell can change in composition

  • Francis Crick and James Watsons

    • 1953, twisted ladder structure of DNA

    • received the Nobel Peace Prize instead of yknow

  • Rosalind Franklin

    • 1953, discovered the structure of DNA using x-ray diffraction

    • died from radiation of cancer

    • The Unsung Hero of DNA

    • worked with Maurice Wilkins, which approached Francis and James about the discovery

    • posthumously - given after dead (Nobel prize does not allow it)

  • Rachel Louise Carson

    • Mother of Environmental Science

    • against DDT, pesticide, insecticide

  • Lynn Margulis

    • Endosymbiotic Theory

    • Symbiosis - eukaryotic cell relationship to other cell ??

      • mutualism - both benefits

      • commensalism - one benefits, one neither benefits nor is harmed

      • parasitism - one benefits, one is harmed

  • Claude Ephraim Zobell

    • Father of Marine Biology

    • discovered living organisms in the extreme ocean depth and 65 species of bacteria

  • Wendell Meredith Stanley

    • one who crystallized the “Tobacco Mosaic Virus”

    • Crystallization - process of transforming components of a virus into organized particles to describe the structure and other characteristics using x-ray crystallography technique

  • Imre Festetics

    • study of sheep to develop many of the fundamental ideas that makeup the field of genetics

21ST CENTURY BIOLOGY: GENOMICS, BIOTECHNOLOGY & BEYOND

  • John Craig Venter

    • The Human Genome Project (1999-2003) -determined human DNA sequencing

  • Jennifer Doudna & Emmanuelle Charpentier

    • CRISPR-Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) - gene-editing technology which involves two essential components: a guide RNA to match a desired target gene, and Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9)

    • biotechnology and GMO

    • studied at Cornell University

OUTSTANDING FILIPINOS

  • Dr. Lourdes J. Cruz

    • toxic peptides from venom of fish-hunting conus marine snails

  • Dr. Clare R. Baltazar

    • author of Philippine Insects

    • first authoritative text on Philippine insects, Philippine Hymenoptera

  • Dr. Magdalena C. Cantoria

    • pharmacognosy - study of therapeutic substance (agar, raulfia, datura, mint, pippes species)

  • Dr. Filomena F. Campos

    • cotton research in the Philippines (3yrs)

    • deeply involved on the research on sunflower - a potential source of edible oil & livestock feed

    • development of package of technology of cotton

  • Dr. Benjamin D. Cabrera

    • medical parasitology and public health

    • epidemiology and life cycle

    • parasitic worm

    • mosquito carriers

    • ascariasis or soil transmitted Helminthes can now be reduced

  • Dr. Eduardo A. Quisumbing

    • Father of Philippine Orchidology

    • study of herbs/halamang gamot

    • written 129 scientific articles

    • Book: Medicinal Plants of the Philippines

  • Dr. Francisco M. Fronda

    • Father of Poultry Science in the Philippines

    • poultry and livestock for 6 decades

  • Dr. Emil Q. Javier

    • practical and realistic approach to the problems confronting the small farmers, especially in tropical and developing countries

    • develop practical method to improve crop production using cheap, indigenous materials

  • Dr. Jovenito D. Soriano

    • plant cytogenetics - study dealing with the cell and processes in plants

    • research on mutation - cell change

  • Dr. Emerita V. De Guzman

    • makapuno embryo inside a test tube (in vitro development)

    • successfully produced 100% all makapuno bearing nuts in a cluster

*in vitro - outside or test tube; in vivo - inside the body