Paul de Kruif, or Paul Henry De Kruif ( 1890 - 1971 ) was an American microbiologist and author. He is most noted for his 1926 book, Microbe Hunters. This book was not only a best seller for a lengthy period after publication, it has remained high on lists of recommended reading for science and has been an inspiration for many future scientists. 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... Microbiology (in Greek micron = small and biologia = studying life) is the study of microorganisms, including unicellular (single-celled) eukaryotes and prokaryotes, fungi, and viruses. ... The word author has several meanings: The author of a book, story, article or the like, is the person who has written it (or is writing it). ...

Early life

He was born in Zeeland, Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1912 with a B.A and remained to obtain a PhD in 1916. He immediately entered service as a private in Mexico on the Pancho Villa Expedition and afterwards served as a lieutenant and Captain in World War I in France. Because of his service in the Sanitary Corps, he had occasional contact with leading French biologists of the period. For the town of Zeeland in North Dakota, see Zeeland, North Dakota. ... University of Michigan, Ann Arbor The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a public coeducational university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. ... The Pancho Villa Expedition was an abortive punitive expedition conducted by the United States against the military forces of Mexican Revolutionary General Pancho Villa in retaliation for Villas invasion of the United States and attack on the village of Columbus, New Mexico. ... World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machineguns, and poison gas. ...

Writing career

After returning to the University of Michigan as an assistant professor, he briefly worked for the Rockefeller Institute. De Kruif then became a full time writer. Rockefeller University is a small private university focusing primarily on graduate education and research in the biomedical fields, located in the southeasternmost corner of the Upper East Side of Manhattan island in New York City, New York. ...

De Kruif co-authored the novel Arrowsmith (1925) with Sinclair Lewis, providing the scientific and medical information required by the plot, along with character sketches. Even though Lewis was listed as the sole author, De Kruif's contribution was significant, and he received twenty-five percent of the royalties. Many believe the characters in the novel represent people known to De Kruif, with Martin Arrowsmith possibly representing himself. Arrowsmith is a novel by American author and and playwright Sinclair Lewis that was published in 1925. ... Sinclair Lewis Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885–January 10, 1951) was an American novelist and playwright. ...

Some of his writings created problems for him. Some essays written while working for the Rockefeller Institute led to his dismissal. One of the scientists featured in "Microbe Hunters" (Ronald Ross) took exception to how he was described, so the British edition had to delete that chapter to avoid a libel suit. Ronald Ross Ronald Ross (May 13, 1857–September 16, 1932) was an English physician. ... In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ...

De Kruif was a staff writer for the Ladies' Home Journal, "Country Gentleman," and the Readers Digest, contributing articles on science and medicine. He also served on commissions to promote research into Infantile Paralysis. A cover of Ladies Home Journal from 1906 Ladies Home Journal was first published February 16, 1883 as a womens supplement to the Tribune and Farmer. ... The cover of the May 2004 issue of Readers Digest. ... Poliomyelitis (polio), or infantile paralysis, is a viral paralytic disease. ...

His last book, "The Sweeping Wind," is his autobiography.

De Kruif died in Holland, Michigan. Holland is a city located in Western Michigan on the Black River settled in 1847 by Dutch Calvinist separatists under the leadership of Rev. ...

Microbe Hunters

• Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632 -1723), Invention of a simple microscope and the discovery of micororganisms.
• Lazaro 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 fly 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, Syphilis.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek Anton van Leeuwenhoek (October 24, 1632 - August 30, 1723, full name Thonius Philips van Leeuwenhoek) was a tradesman and scientist from Delft, in the Netherlands. ... 1852 microscope Compound microscope made by John Cuff in 1750 A microscope (Greek: micron = small and scopos = aim) is an instrument for viewing objects that are too small to be seen by the naked or unaided eye. ... Lazzaro Spallanzani (January 10, 1729 - February 12, 1799) was an Italian biologist. ... Biogenesis is the process of lifeforms producing other lifeforms, e. ... For the American lobbyist, see Bobby Koch. ... A pathogen literally birth of pain from the Greek παθογένεια) is a biological agent that can cause disease to its host. ... Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895) was a French microbiologist and chemist. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Biogenesis is the process of lifeforms producing other lifeforms, e. ... Emile Roux Pierre Paul Emile Roux (b. ... Emil Adolf von Behring (March 15, 1854 - March 31, 1917) was born at Hansdorf, Germany. ... Eli Metchnikoff (1845-1916) was a Russian scientist, pivotal in starting the relatively modern discipline of probiotics. ... A phagocyte is a cell that ingests (and destroys) foreign matter, such as microorganisms or debris via a process known as phagocytosis, in which these cells ingest and kill offending cells by cellular digestion. ... Theobald Smith (July 31, 1859 – December 10, 1934) was an American pathologist. ... Families Ixodidae - Hard ticks Argasidae - Soft ticks Tick is the common name for the small wingless arachnids that, along with mites, constitute the order Acarina. ... Sir David Bruce (Melbourne, May 29, 1855 - November 27, 1931) was an English pathologist and microbiologist who investigated the Malta-fever and trypanosomes, identifying the cause of sleeping sickness. ... Binomial name Glossina morsitans The tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans, is a fly (order Diptera) that eats blood from animals, including humans. ... Sleeping sickness or African trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease in humans. ... Ronald Ross Ronald Ross (May 13, 1857–September 16, 1932) was an English physician. ... Giovanni Battista Grassi (1854-1925) was an Italian zoologist, known for work demonstrating that mosquitos carry the malaria plasmodium in their digestive tract, on the embryological development of honey bees, on parasites, particularly the vine parasite phylloxera, migrations and metamorphosis in eels, and on termites. ... Red blood cell infected with Malaria (Italian: bad air; formerly called ague or marsh fever in English) is an infectious disease which in humans causes about 350-500 million infections and approximately 1. ... Walter Reed (September 13, 1851 - November 23, 1902) was an American Army surgeon who led the team which proved the theory first set forth in 1881 by the Cuban doctor and scientist Dr. Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes rather than direct contact. ... Paul Ehrlich (March 14, 1854 – August 20, 1915) was a German scientist who won the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. ... Depression-era U.S. poster advocating early syphilis treatment Syphilis (historically called lues) is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by a spirochaete bacterium, Treponema pallidum. ...

Books by Paul de Kruif

• The Fight for Life (1938).
• Hunger Fighters (1928).
• Life Among Doctors.
• Kaiser Wakes the Doctors.
• A Man Against Insanity (1957).
• Men Against Death (1932).
• Microbe Hunters (1926).
• Our Medicine Men (1922).
• Seven Iron Men (1937).
• The Sweeping Wind (1962).
• Why Keep Them Alive (1937).

External links

• Short biography of de Kruif