Van Leeuwenhoek’s Microscope(激蕩人心的曆史，在每日散步或跑步時)

年紀漸長，長期伏案帶來僵硬肩頸，加上老眼昏花，讀書慢慢變成了“聽書。”

前段時間在Libby上“偶遇”Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius的“A History of Eastern Europe”。發現講者，田納西大學的教授，將東歐曆史，通過24個事件，娓娓道來，細節生動，講解緊湊，發音清晰，抑揚頓挫，膾炙人口。

查了下發現此可聽書在一個係統的網站裏：https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/a-history-of-eastern-europe。

於是查來他的另一課程/錄音書： The Turning Point of Modern History. https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/turning-points-in-modern-history

今天聽的第7節：

71676—Van Leeuwenhoek’s Microscope

Trace how Anton van Leeuwenhoek’s striking discovery fit into the larger Scientific Revolution and shifted intellectual authority from classic texts to that which is observable and measurable.

The passage talks about Antony van Leeuwenhoek in 17th-century Netherlands, who pushed the limits of the microscope at the time. He placed chili peppers in water to study why they were spicy and discovered various microorganisms in the bowl about ten days later, which he meticulously labeled. He used the microscope to observe various foods, birds, insects, and bodily fluids.

The townspeople viewed him as a magician or eccentric. His wife had to endure him placing hatching mice in socks to "observe" their development.

Despite the recent war between the Netherlands and England, the Royal Society of London invited him to explain his discoveries. Leeuwenhoek gained great fame. As he neared the end of his life, he donated his microscope to the Royal Society of London, saying, "My work is not for money or fame, but to discover things buried under our eyes and satisfy a craving after knowledge."

Remembering once again the pioneer of microbiology. A life driven by curiosity should be fulfilling!

 

書中講安東尼·範?雷文霍克在17世紀的荷蘭，將顯微鏡做到當時的極致。他為了研究辣椒為什莫辣， 將它放在水中。 在10來天後發現盆子中各種生物。 他將它們一一標記。

他用顯微鏡觀察各種食物，小鳥，昆蟲，體液。

鎮上的人當他魔術師，或怪異的人。 他的太太要忍受他將待孵化的小老鼠穿在襪子裏，因他想”觀察“它們的變化。

雖然荷蘭剛和英國幹了一場仗，不妨英國皇家科學院發出邀請函請他詳述他的發現。 

之後.雷文霍克聲名大噪. 在他去世之際，他將他的顯微鏡捐給了英國皇家學院。他說：My work is not for money or fame, but to discover things buried under our eyes and satisfy a craving after knowledge(我的工作是為了發現我們肉眼未知的世界和滿足對知識的渴望）。

再次記住了這位微生物生物學的奠基人。 因好奇心導向的人生應該是豐滿的！