“The 4th sort of creatures... which moved through the 3 former sorts, were incredibly small, and so small in my eye that I judged, that if 100 of them lay [stretched out] one by another, they would not equal the length of a grain of course Sand; and according to this estimate, ten hundred thousand of them could not equal the dimensions of a grain of such course Sand. There was discover'd by me a fifth sort, which had near the thickness of the former, but they were almost twice as long. The first time bacteria were observed.” IfsFirstsLongEyeScienceCoursesThousandTenCreaturesEqualHundredFirst TimeMovedLaysFormerDimensionsSandLengthJudgedGrainFifthBacteriaThickness Author:Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
“Examining this water...I found floating therein divers earthy particles, and some green streaks, spirally wound serpent-wise...and I judge that some of these little creatures were above a thousand times smaller than the smallest ones I have ever yet seen, upon the rind of cheese, in wheaten flour, mould, and the like.” LittlesScienceFoundWaterWiseJudgingThousandCreaturesAccountsGreenWoundsSmallestCheeseFloatingParticlesExaminingSerpentStreaksMouldFlour Author:Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
“The 31th of May, I perceived in the same water more of those Animals, as also some that were somewhat bigger. And I imagine, that [ten hundred thousand] of these little Creatures do not equal an ordinary grain of Sand in bigness: And comparing them with a Cheese-mite (which may be seen to move with the naked eye) I make the proportion of one of these small Water-creatures to a Cheese-mite, to be like that of a Bee to a Horse: For, the circumference of one of these little Animals in water, is not so big as the thickness of a hair in a Cheese-mite.” MayLittlesBigsEyeMovingScienceWaterAnimalImagineHairThousandTenCreaturesEqualOrdinaryHundredBiggerHorseNakedCompareProportionSandImagine ThatGrainBeesCheeseGrains Of SandNaked EyesThickness Author:Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
“In the year 1657 I discovered very small living creatures in rain water.” YearsWaterCreaturesRainLiving CreaturesRain Water Author:Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
