Microbiological research in Delft
After the death in 1723 of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, the man who discovered microorganisms, it was over 150 years before microbiological research returned to Delft. Jacques van Marken, had opened his “Netherlands Gist en Spiritus Fabriek” (NG&SF) in the city in 1869.
Van Marken was a man who was open to new ideas, so it is no surprise that with yeast as his main product, he decided that production could be improved if he employed someone who understood yeasts and bacteria. In 1884, he recruited a young botanist who was teaching at the Agricultural School in Wageningen called Martinus Willem Beijerinck to open the first industrial microbiology laboratory in the world.
Martinus Willem Beijerinck – The first Professor of Microbiology
After a few years, Beijerinck became the first Professor of Microbiology at the Delft Technical College. The research carried out in the laboratory was a mixture of fundamental and applied microbiology. The Laboratory of Microbiology is now part of the Department of Biotechnology and the Delft Technical College is now Delft University of Technology, but Beijerinck would feel at home as they still understand the value of fundamental and applied science.
Until his retirement, Professor Beijerinck lived with his sisters in the Professor’s house. He seems to have focused entirely on science, with little time for a social life. As a “scientific omnivore”, he spent his time investigating anything that caught his attention. Two of his most famous major discoveries root nodules and viruses must represent his many others.
Beijerinck's summer home in Gorssel. Painted by Henriëtte.
Retirement
After Martinus retired, he moved with Henriëtte and Johanna to their summer home in Gorssel (painting by Henriètte). Johanna died soon after. Martinus carried on with microbiological research and the archives include a collection of letters between him and Kluyver discussing his results. After his death, Henriëtte returned many of his books and papaers to Delft, and these form the core of the collection.
Martinus Willem Beijerinck
Beijerinck in the Professor’s private laboratory in his Laboratory of Microbiology at the Polytechnic.
