用一生的時間來磨一面鏡子,這種“蠢事”恐怕很少有人愿意做。然而在荷蘭,有一個剛初中畢業的青年,在一個小鎮里做鎮政府的門衛工作。
那時,門衛的工作是比較清閑的。于是,青年為了打發為余的時間,養成了打磨鏡片的愛好。青年非常專注和細致,多年來的打磨生涯使他的技術已經超過專業技師,他磨出的復合鏡片的放大倍數,比他們的都要高。
就這樣,青年鍥而不舍地磨了六十年鏡片,也因此讓他發現了當時科技尚未知曉的另一個廣闊的世界——微生物世界。他制造的放大透鏡以及簡單的顯微鏡,形式很多;透鏡的材料有玻璃、寶石、鉆石等。他一生磨制了400多個透鏡,其放大率竟達270倍。1674年他開始觀察細菌和原生動物,即他所謂的“非常微小的動物”。1677年他首次描述了昆蟲、狗和人的精子。1684年他準確地描述了紅細胞,證明馬爾皮基推測的毛細血管是真實存在的。1702年他指出在所有露天積水中都可以找到微生物。他追蹤觀察了許多低等動物和昆蟲的生活史,證明它們都自卵孵出,并經歷了幼蟲等階段,而不是從沙子、河泥或露水中自然發生的。
這個青年就是科學史上鼎鼎大名的、活了90歲的荷蘭科學家萬 主站蜘蛛池模板: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |