Deadly germs annihilated populations throughout the seventeenth century in both the Old and New Worlds. Dutch scientist and entrepreneur Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) was the first to discover and describe microorganisms (protists, bacteria) in the 1670s.

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Audio credits: History Unplugged podcast with Scott Rank (Episode-Microbes Were Discovered in the 1600s. Why It Take 200 Years For Doctors To Start Washing Their Hands? 08may2025), Salem Media, Parthenon Network. Audio excerpts reproduced under the Fair Use (Fair Dealings) Legal Doctrine for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, education, scholarship, research and news reporting.

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