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Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

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Anton van Leeuwenhoek (Antoni in Dutch) (1632-1723) was a tradesman and scientist from Delft, in the Netherlands.

http://meta.wikipedia.com/upload/AVL.jpg
(Image from http://wwwihm.nlm.nih.gov/)

He is best known for his contribution to improvement of the microscope and his contributions towards the establishment of cell biology.

Using his handcrafted microscope he observed muscles fibres, bacteria, spermatozoa and blood flow in capillaries (small blood vessels).

"No more pleasant sight has met my eye than this of so many thousands of living creatures in one small drop of water..." - Stated after his discovery of the microscopic world over three centuries ago.

During his lifetime van Leeuwenhoek carved over 500 optical lenses .

He is thought to have been be the model for Vermeer's painting The Geographer; the two were close friends.

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