Microbe Hunters

Microbe Hunters

Title page for Microbe Hunters (1926)
Author	Paul de Kruif
Language	English
Genre	Popular science
Publisher	Harcourt, Brace and Company
Publication date	1926
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardback)

Microbe Hunters is a popular science book written by Paul de Kruif and first published in 1926. The book has been celebrated as one of the most influential books for drawing scientists into the fields of microbiology and immunology. ^{[1] [2]} This book was not only a bestseller for a lengthy period after publication, but has remained high on lists of recommended reading for science and has been an inspiration for many aspiring physicians and scientists. ^[3]

Scientists showcased

De Kruif's Microbe Hunters consists of chapters on the following figures of medicine's "Heroic Age":

• Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) – the invention of a simple microscope and the discovery of microorganisms.
• Lazzaro Spallanzani (1729–1799) – biogenesis.
• Robert Koch (1843–1910) – identification of pathogens.
• Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) – bacteria, biogenesis.
• Emile Roux (1853–1933) and Emil von Behring (1854–1917) – diphtheria.
• Elie Metchnikoff (1845–1916) – phagocytes.
• Theobald Smith (1859–1934) – animal vectors and ticks.
• David Bruce (1855–1931) – tsetse flies and sleeping sickness.
• Ronald Ross (1857–1932) and Battista Grassi (1854–1925) – malaria.
• Walter Reed (1851–1902) – yellow fever.
• Paul Ehrlich (1854–1915) – the magic-bullet concept applied to syphilis (see the 1940 film Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet ).

References

1. John S. Emrich; Charles Richter (January–February 2019). "Paul de Kruif and Microbe Hunters". American Association of Immunologists. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
2. W C Summers (1998-03-01). "Microbe Hunters revisited". International Microbiology . 1 (1): 65–68. PMID   10943343.
3. Jan Peter Verhave (2013) "Paul de Kruif: A Michigan Leader in Public Health," Michigan Historical Review 39: 41–69.

External links

• The full text of Microbe Hunters at Wikisource, with audio