Microbiology is a branch of biology which focuses on microscopic organisms. This includes unicellular (single cell), multicellular (many cells or a cell colony) or acellular (no cells). There are many disciplines that stem off microbiology, such as virology (study of viruses), parasitology (study of parasites), mycology (study of fungi), and bacteriology (study of bacteria). These encompass the grand scope of microbiology, which allows for a deeper understanding on a microscopic level for all life on earth.

Microbiology stems back to ancient times, as far back as 6^th century BCE. This took place in India, and was from a man known as Mahavira. He was a spiritual teacher, and was the last of the Jain Tirthankara. He would insist that there were small organisms unseen by the human eye doing many different tasks. In scriptures he would write these down, as well as explain the large groups these microscopic organisms would form.

The first person to observe microorganisms is widely debated. Anton van Leeuwenhoek would observe and document bacteria and other microorganisms using a microscope he designed himself. This would take place in 1676, and Leeuwenhoek is often credited to be the first person to discover microorganisms.

However, 12 years earlier, Robert Hooke would make the first recorded microscopic organism discovery, within the fruiting bodies of molds. But even these are contested by Athanasius Kircher, who would document small microscopic "worms" 29 years before Robert Hooke living within vinegar and milk.

The study of bacteria (bacteriology) was created in the 19^th century by Ferdinand Cohn. He was a botanist that studied algae and photosynthetic bacteria. These studies would lead him to discover a multitude of bacteria, including Bacillus (Rod shaped bacteria that show up crystal violet in a Gram test) and Beggiatoa (bacteria that live in sulfur rich environments). He would also be the first to create a way to categorize bacteria (taxonomic classification) and would discover spores.

Microbiology wouldn't officially be made until after Cohn, with the work of Louis Pasteur. Louis Pasteur is known for his theory of spontaneous generations, that organisms could spawn from nonliving matter, like fleas from dust or maggots from dead flesh. With this, microbiology would be solidified as a school of science, and he would go on to design other methods to help humanity such as food preservation (pasteurization) and vaccines which would fight against deadly diseases such as anthrax or rabies.

Robert Koch is considered to be the father of medical microbiology. He was the first person to focus on isolating bacteria in a laboratory environment which would let them reproduce with certain parameters (microbiological culture). He would also provide many contribution to the germ theory of disease, which basically states that diseases spread through germs interacting with healthy bodies. These advances would lead to Koch's postulates, which are the four requirements to establish a positive relationship between microbes and diseases.

While the origins of microscopic organism studies are widely debated, there is something that cannot be debated. That is the importance of microbiology, and the advances it has made in humanity. Without it, scientists would not be able to fight diseases like they do today, and vaccines would not exist to the extent that they do. As scientists learn more about microorganisms, they shall learn more about the complexities of life under the microscope.

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