Varro

Definition

Varro, a Roman scholar, recognized the existence of microorganisms long before the invention of the microscope. He proposed that diseases could be caused by tiny invisible creatures in the air.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Varro lived from 116 BC to 27 BC and was a prominent Roman scholar.
2. He wrote about the possibility of disease being caused by 'minute creatures' too small to see.
3. Varro made these observations in his work 'Res Rusticae' (On Agriculture).
4. His ideas were largely ignored until the invention of the microscope in the 17th century.
5. Varro's work laid early conceptual foundations for germ theory.

Review Questions

Related terms

Germ Theory:

The theory that certain diseases are caused by microorganisms.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek: A scientist who first observed microorganisms using a microscope.

Res Rusticae: A work written by Varro discussing agriculture and mentioning minute creatures causing disease.