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John Needham Facts

John Needham Facts
John Turberville Needham FRS (September 10, 1713 to December 30, 1781) was an English biologist and Roman Catholic priest. He is best known for his work in botany and described the mechanics of pollen. He was the first Catholic priest to become a fellow of the Royal Society of London.
Interesting John Needham Facts:
John Turberville Needham was born in London.
In 1738 he was ordained but spent most of his time as a teacher.
His studies in natural history, particularly in microscopic organisms created an interest in natural science.
From 1746 to 1749 he studied in London and Paris.
His experiments with spontaneous generation in mutton broth and wheat led him to strongly defend the idea of spontaneous generation.
He didn't know that the his media already contained the organisms that grew and spoiled his cultures.
His cooling flasks were open containers which resulted in microbial contamination.
He was also a proponent of the theory of vitalism and held that life processes cannot be explained by the laws of chemistry and physics.
In 1747 he became a member of the Royal Society of London.
In 1767 he entered the English seminary in Paris.
Until 1780 he was director of the Imperial Academy in Brussels.
He died in Brussels.


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