Antonie van Leeuwen-hoek was a 17th century Dutch scientist. He is best known for discovering protozoa, and creating more than 500 simple microscopes. Van Leeuwenhoek was the first scientist to closely observe cells under a microscope. One of his most groundbreaking discover100 Great Sies was also one of his first. His observations, in 1674, of scummy pond water, led to the first visual descriptions and illustrations of such common organisms as the algae spirogyra. This contributed towards the foundation of several branches of biology. He made one of the first recorded observations of bacteria when he studied the plaque from his teeth. He noticed what he called animalcules' in the saliva sample. These animalcules were actually bacteria. He gave cells their name because he thought they resembled the shape of a monk's quarters. Although Van Leeuwen-hoek never received any formal scientific training, he is considered to be the father of microbiology for his contributions to that field of science.
Born in the tenth century AD, Alhazen was an Arab who was known as the first true scientist. He developed the scientific method of experimentation, and was the first person to formulate hypothesis and conduct verifiable experiments. A scientist, philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, Alhazen wrote over a hundred books, more than half of which have been preserved. One of his most influential writings was in the field of optics. In this book Alhazen gave experimental proof of the nature of light, the structure of the eye and the basic principles of reflection via mirror. He stated that contrary to popular belief, the eye does not send out rays to the object it sees. Rather it is the light reflected via the object that the eye beholds. This was a completely new and revolutionary concept. The book comprises sevenvoles, and was translated into Latin.
