Department of Biotechnology and Science Centre, Delft University of Technology, Van der Burghweg 1, 2628 CS, Delft, The Netherlands.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 2023 Oct;116(10):919-935. doi: 10.1007/s10482-023-01859-4. Epub 2023 Jul 31.
In the 300 years since Van Leeuwenhoek died, some of the details around his life and his work have provided material for discussion or dispute. As archives and libraries are being scanned and technology improves, information is becoming more readily available. This review therefore aims to take a new look at some of those discussions, and Van Leeuwenhoek's possible experimental methods. Digital photography has made it possible to show exactly what can be seen through his simple microscopes, and how he could have obtained his results by, for example, modifying his microscopes and lighting. Equally, the completion of the series known as the Collected Letters, begun in 1931 with volume 1 published in 1939 and to be completed in 2023, allows researchers to see complete letters in English and modern Dutch. Theories about experimental methods can be tested and the results recorded photographically. Additionally, new, non-destructive techniques such as neutron tomography have improved the evaluation of the authenticity of surviving microscopes.
在列文虎克去世后的 300 年里，他的一些生活和工作细节引发了讨论或争议。随着档案和图书馆的扫描以及技术的进步，信息变得更加容易获取。因此，本文旨在重新审视其中的一些讨论，以及列文虎克可能的实验方法。数字摄影使得通过他简单的显微镜可以看到的东西以及他如何通过例如修改显微镜和照明来获得结果变得一目了然。同样，自 1931 年开始的《书信集》系列的完成，该系列于 1939 年出版了第 1 卷，将于 2023 年完成，使研究人员能够看到英文和现代荷兰文的完整信件。关于实验方法的理论可以得到检验，并以照片记录结果。此外，中子断层扫描等新的非破坏性技术提高了对现存显微镜真实性的评估。
