| Date | 1827 |
| Author | Brown |
| Contribution | Studied the motion of microscopic particles of animal, vegetable and mineral origin. |
| Reference | Asimov |
| Notes | Robert Brown, botanist. Not the first to see such movement (since known as Brownian motion), he was the first to clarify its universality and its inanimate nature. Using a simple (single lens) instrument, he first observed such motion in the interior of male sex cells (pollen grains). Although not published until 1828, his work can be reliably placed in 1827 because of his numerous demonstrations of the movement in that year. Reference: Asimov, I. New Intelligent Man' Guide to Science. Basic Books, New York, 1960. It is sometimes reported that Brown made his observation on pollen grains themselves, but in fact he observed moving particles in fluid-filled pockets inside the grains of pollen. |
| Category | Microscopy |
| Pathogen Class | General |
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