Martinus Willem Beijerinck (1851-1931)

Features

Martinus Willem Beijerinck

(1851-1931)

Pioneer of general microbiology

KING-THOM CHUNG and DEAM HUNTER FERRIS

“Fortunate are those who now start.” that use methane as their sole source of carbon and
Martinus W. Beijerinck energy. Albert Jan Kluyver, who inherited the chair of
Beijerinck in 1921, developed the theory of metabolic
Late in 1995, microbiologist, historians, and digni- unity and diversity for microorganisms. And C. B. Van
taries participated in a conference, “Beijerinck Centen- Niel, one of Kluyver’s students, migrated to the United
nial-Microbial Physiology and Gene Regulation: States, where he influenced an entire generation of
Emerging Principles and Application,” in The Hague, microbiologists with his enthusiasm for unusual bio-
The Netherlands, to commemorate the appointment of chemistry and physiology. Together with Pasteur,
Martinus Willem Beijerinck, the great microbiologist, Koch, and the Russian Sergi N. Winogradsky, who
as a professor at Delft Polytechnic School. Despite his specialized in soil microorganisms, Beijerinck is re-
discovering the filterability of the infectious agent garded as a founder of microbiology as a distinct
responsible for tobacco mosaic disease, identifying the discipline.
first microbial sulfate reducer, and conducting pioneer-
ing research on nitrogen fixation, very few current Beijerinck’s Humble Family Origins
students of biology are aware of Beijerinck’s fundamen-
tal contributions to the development of microbiology. The family of Martinus Willem Beijerinck, who was
born on 16 March 1851 in Amsterdam, The Nether-
One reason that Beijerinck is not better known is lands, came from
that his studies of plant- and soil-associated microor- Twente in the prov-
ganisms were less dramatic than those of his contem- ince of Overijsel. His
poraries Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch. Moreover, father, Derk Beijer-
their work related to familiar human and animal inck (1805~1879),
diseases. and mother, Jean-
nette Henriette van
Beije.rinck, with his keen ability for observation, Slogteren (1811-
was a prime mover in establishing general microbiol- 1875), had one other
ogy as a major discipline. Well before most universities son and two daugh-
recognized microbiology as a distinct discipline, he ters.
established the Delft School of Microbiology, which set When Derk Bei-
the cornerstone for developing many such departments jerinck’s tobacco _
and institutions worldwide. Soon this school attracted business in Amster-
a steady stream of insightful researchers, including the dam failed, he and
botanist and microscopist Gijsebertus Van Iterson and his family moved to
N. L. Sohngen, the first to describe microorganisms

King-Thorn Chung (corresponding author) is a pro- Naarden in 1851,
fessor of microbiology at the Department of Microbiol- where he found work
ogy and Molecular Cell Sciences, The University of as a clerk in the
Memphis, Memphis, Tenn. Deam Hunter Ferris, profes- Haarlem booking of- Beijerinck (from ASM Archives)

sor emeritus of the Department of Pathobiology, Uni- fice of the Holland
versity of Illinois, Urbana, passed away on 8 December Railway Company. Although the family was too poor to
1993 during the preparation of this article. . send Martinus to school, his father taught him not only

VOL. 62, NO. 10, 1996 539

Scientific Highlights of Beijerinck’s Career all the subjects of elementary
school but also French, English,
a little German, artwork, and
l Demonstrated the filterability of the infectious agent of tobacco mosaic disease some astronomy and physics.
and coined the term “filterable virus.” Described the intracellular reproduction
of tobacco mosaic virus in 1898, a pioneering contribution in virology. At the age of 12, Martinus
went on to the elementary
l Isolated BaciZZus rudicicola and proved that it forms nodules on the roots of school of Master Knoop and,
Leguminosae species. Later isolated Rhizobium species, studied nitrogen fixa- subsequently, the Hoogere
tion, and demonstrated nitrogen fixation by free-living microorganisms, partic- Burgerschool (secondary school)
ularly Azotobacter chroococcum. at Haarlem. Despite an inferior-
ity complex that undermined
* Isolated and described in detail the denitrification process of BaciZZus sphaero- his self-confidence, intelligence
sporus and Bacillus nitrous. and hard work led him to the
top rank in his class. Moreover,
a Isolated sulfate producing ThiobaciZZus species and demonstrated their chemo- during this time, Frederik Wil-
autotrophic nature. Also studied hydrogen sulfide production by Aerubacter lem van Eeden, his science
species. teacher in botany, greatly influ-
enced Beijerinck. The two of
l Contributed to the understanding of lactic acid bacteria involved in producing them spent considerable time
kefir and yogurt. Demonstrated the significance of a catalase-negative reaction wandering the sand dunes near
and proposed the generic name LactobaciZZus. Haarlem nurturing a love of
plant life. In 1866, at the age of
l Introduced the generic name Acetobacter, described pigment-producing Aceto- 15, he won a contest on the basis
baeter melanogenum, and studied butyric acid and butyl alcohol fermentation. of his collection of 150 species of
plants.
l Pioneered the study of luminescent bacteria and isolated Phutobacterium
Zuminosum (1889). Pioneered the study of yeast, isolated Schixosuccharumyces With the help of his brother
octoporus from raisins, and discovered the saccharolytic enzyme lactase of and uncle, Beijerinck entered
Saccharomyces tyrucola, the Delft Polytechnical School,
where chemistry became his
* Was the first to obtain pure cultures of algae, zoochlorellae, and gunidia of major subject but plants re-
lichens. mained his major interest.
While a student, he met J. H.
l Studied urea decomposition, microbial variations (mutations), and oxygen
relationships among bacteria.

* Observed Sarcina uentriculi in media of high acidicity and under anaerobic
conditions.

a Studied plant galls and did extensive morphological work on adventitious
structures and regeneration phenomena in plants.

l Studied phyllotaxis, the arrangement of leaves on plant stems,
l Investigated the fungus CZasterusporium carpophilum (later named C. belijer-

nick), the potent cause of gummosis.

Van’t Hoff, who later won the
first Nobel Prize in chemistry.
They undertook many experiments together, and Van’t
The Delft School of Microbiology Hoff later became Beijerinck’s lifelong adviser. When-
Family Tree Project - - ~ ever a new opportunity arose for Beijerinck, he con-

On a freezing evening outside the former Microbi- sulted with Van’t Hoff before taking action.
ology Laboratory in Delft late in 1995, the son of Albert Beijerinck graduated in 1872 and enrolled in the
Jan Kluyver unveiled a plague commemurating the
building, which is now an apartment complex. In that M. W. Beijerinck I
laboratory Beijerinck and Kluyver founded the D Delft University of Technology
School of Microbiology a century ago. This year as we
celebrate the Beijerinck centennial, we alsu recognize A.J. Kluyver
the five generations of microbiologists who descended
becoming a pkfessor, we 117 Delft University
tree” of microbiolotists who- can traj B.J.D. Meeuse-

University of Washington
D.R. Kreger
J.E. van Amstel
Agricultural University of Wageningen J.P. Pfeiffer

A. van Rossem
many others

aspects is its international spread. E H.C. Jacobsen
school are found on every major land block and in many Unilever
countries, A.H.van Delden

Ledey A. Robertsun

LesZey A. Robertson boUefgtnahineveKtrhZseiutyFyuaemurfiZLTyaebcTohrrnaeoetolProlirvyo*jfe- ucintr. wj Agricultural University of Wageningen ’
Biotechnology at DeZft
DeZft, Xhe Netherlands, II j1

I

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[See Mini-tree 3. ] ued research and in 1877 published his
first paper on plant galls. In the same year
C.B. van Niel y J. W.M. la Riviere; IHE he received his doctorate from the Univer-
Stanford University E.S. Idziak; McGill University sity of Leiden. His dissertation was dedi-
T. WikCn cated to his father. He remained in Wage-
Delft University of Technology N. Kreger-van Rij; CBS ningen, teaching and studying plant galls.
H. Veldkamp A.J. van der Eb; University of Leiden In 1883, one of his papers was accepted by
University of Groningen R.I. Mateles; Candida Corporation the Amsterdam Academy, a great honor for
J. Lodder A. Fuchs; Agricultural University of him.
Gist brocades Wageningen
J.P. van der Walt G.D. Vogels; Catholic University of According to L. E. den Dooren de Jong,
University of the Orange Free State Nijmegen one of his students during this period,
D.M.J. Westendijk C.J.E. Bulder; Agricultural University of Beijerinck was a demanding and unpopu-
CBS Wageningen lar teacher who shouted his demands and
J.C. Hoogerheide and many, many others often berated students for their mistakes.
Gist brocades Their attitudes disappointed Beijerinck,
R.L.Starkey J.G. Kuenen; Delft University of Technology I- who did not seem to understand the outlook
Rutgers University on life of these “normal” students.
C.E.Clifton W. Harder; University of Groningen ’ +,
Stanford University To Beijerinck, there was nothing more
C.J.E.A.Bulder W. Konings; University of Groningen interesting than science. Botanical re-
Agricultural University of Wageningen search was the love of his life. His work
A. Kaars Sijpesteijn J.C. Gottschal; University of Groningen was increasingly recognized by the scien-
T.N.O. and many others tific establishment in The Netherlands,
H.A. Barker which in May 1884 elected him to the
University of California The next Delft Generation Royal Academy of Sciences in Amsterdam.
B.E. Volcani During this period he also came into regu-
Scripps Institute of Oceanography N.J. Palleroni; Rutgers University lar contact with many influential scholars,
S. Soriano such as the botanist Hugo Marie De Vries
University of Buenos Aires R.E. Halbinger; University of Buenos Aires (1848 -1935), who rediscovered Mendel’s
J. De Ley and many others rules of inheritance; the astronomer A. C.
University of Gent. Oudemans (1827-1906); the ophthalmolo-
H.J. Phaff H.J.J. van Vuuren; University of Stellenbosch gist and optician F. C. Donders (1818-
University of California, Davis 1889); and the German physiologist and
W. Verhoeven J.J. Joubert; University of Stellenbosch microbiologist W. T. Engelmann (1843-
Nutricia 1909). At Wageningen, with Adolf Mayer,
P.A.Roelofsen K. Kersters; University of Gent who first discovered the transmissible na-
Delft University of Technology \ J.W. Park; University of Seoul ture of tobacco mosaic disease, he founded
N.M.Stelling-Decker -\ \I A.H. Stouthamer; University of Amsterdam the Society for Encouragement of Natural
CBS & many others Science.
B. Elema
Gist brocades G.H. FleetlUniversity of New South Wales
T.Y. Kingma-Boltjes
University of Amsterdam S. Meyer; Georgia State University
J.G.H. Wessels M.A. Lachance; University of Western Ontario
University of Groningen
H.G.Schlegel
University of Gijttingen
J.C. Senez
University of Marseilles
E.H. Houwink
Organon
and many, many others

University of Leiden the same year. On 7 June 1873, he Beijerinck Moves from Academic Life
passed the candidate examination, magna cum laude, In 1885, Beijerinck became a microbiol-
and was hired to teach at the Agricultural School in
Warffum in the province of Groningen; however, his ogist at the Netherlands Yeast and Alcohol
teaching was poor, and this job lasted for only a year. Manufactory in Delft at the invitation of its
Meanwhile, he continued to study biology at the Uni- farsighted director, J. C. Van Marken. Paid an extraor-
versity of Leiden. In 1875, he became a part-time dinarily high salary and provided with excellent equip-
teacher at the State Secondary School at Warffum ment to establish an outstanding laboratory for micro-
while continuing graduate school. When his mother biology, Beijerinck really came into his own.
died that same year, he was very upset. Just before the new laboratory was completed,
Research and Teaching Become Beijerinck’s Beijerinck visited several important researchers else-
Focus where in Europe, including the founder of mycology,

In 1876, he took another teaching position at the Henrich Anton De B&y (1831-1888), at Strasbourg,
Agricultural High School in Wageningen. This time, he
liked his job greatly because he enjoyed teaching bot- France, and another expert on fungi, Emil Christian
any, a subject which really interested him. He contin- Hansen (1842-1909), whose specialty was the study of
yeasts, at Copenhagen, Denmark. Although admired ’
VOL. 62, NO. 10, 1996 for his scientific enthusiasm, Beijerinck’s fondness for
dispute did not always make him welcome. For in-
stance, his plans to visit Koch in Berlin were unfulfilled
because of his reputation. From then Beijerinck devel-
oped a pronounced dislike for medical bacteriology. In
contrast to most microbiologists at the time, who fol-

541

Despite such work-related successes,
however, Beijerinck was deeply withdrawn
and lived an extremely lonely life. Some of
1 E. Canale-Parola; University of Mass his writings reflect a concern that he might
R.P. Gunsalus; University of Califorma not live up to the expectations of the com-
17Fv”;lMM1Planck I n s t i t u t e

1 pany. In addition, he did not get on well
with colleagues. Fortunately, he enjoyed
R.S. Wolfe y strong support from director Van Marken,
University of Illinois who convinced him several times not to
R.E. Hungate

University of California R. Mah; University of California resign. He also formed a close friendship
R. Stanier with a young technologist, F. G. Waller, a
University of California M.P.Bryant; University of Illinois future chairman of the board of the Yeast
Institut Pasteur and Spirit Work.
M. Doudoroff J.T. Staley; University of Washington
University of California
H. Larsen I J.M. Macey; LaTrobe University
and many others
‘

University of Trondheim

R. Whittenbury Beijerinck’s Scientific Reputation
University of Warwick

S.C. Rittenberg Grows
University of California

H. Jannasch In 1894, Beijerinck earned his place in
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

L. Miller history with his paper on Spirillum desul-

Hampshire College furicans, a sulfate reducer. He showed that

M. Shilo

NH.ebrewPfeUnnniivgeyrsity- andmany o t 1 h, e r s I this bacterium extracts energy by metabo-
lizing sulfur compounds. This interest in
University of Konstanz

J.W. Foster esoteric sulfate reduction arose from prac-

University of Texas

S. Elsden, J.G. Orrnerod; Oslo University tical problems in the yeast factory, which
University of Sheffield K. Eimhjellan; Norway Institute of Technology used canal water for its steam boilers.
T.H. Blackbum I. Dundas; University of Bergen Bacteria extracted minerals in the water
University of Aarhus and caused a buildup of calcium sulfate
R. Prins H.O.Halvorsen; University of Illinois that fouled the boilers, he learned. Like
University of Gronngen V. Uspenskaya; Moscow State University that of Pasteur, Beijerinck’s research led to
W. Vishniac solutions for industrial problems but also
Rochester University M.F.Mullakhanbhai; Haryana Agricultural University produced valuable insights into basic mi-
E. Wollman and many others
[nstitut Pasteur
P. Berg
Stan ford University
2nd many many more

crobiology.
Recognizing Beijerinck’s many achieve-
E.R. Leadbetter; University of Connecticut

J.J. Perry; North California State University ments and realizing that the scope of his

work could expand in better surroundings,
in 1895 Dutch government officials created
a special position for him at the Delft
Polytechnic School. Because the school had
no formal program in biology at that time,
N.P. Revsbech; University of Aarhus he was given a position in the chemistry
department. Beijerinck was delighted with
J. Sorensen; Royal Veterinarv and Agricultural University this new opportunity, which meant return-

KS. Jorgensen-National Board of Waters
and many others

ing triumphantly to the school where his
career started.
Although he was still unpopular, Bei-
lowed the lead of Pasteur and Koch by focusing on jerinck was a big inspiration to those who understood
human and animal diseases, Beijerinck devoted his his vast knowledge and dedication to science. Most of
research to plant microbiology. his few doctoral students became eminent scientists
and made significant contributions to science and in-
During this period in Delft, Beijerinck continued to dustry.
work on plant galls and related microbiological prob-
lems. He made an important discovery, which later Beijerinck appreciated quality scientific research,
affected agriculture greatly, when he isolated nitrogen- giving credit to his assistants and allowing them to
fixing root nodule bacteria in pure culture. This work publish important papers on their own. A. H. Van
was but one of a multitude of projects. Increasingly Delden, his assistant from 1895 to 1904, did important
absorbed in research, he spent long hours in the work on nitrogen fixation, on Bacillus oligocarbophi-
laboratory, sometimes spending entire nights without Zus, and on the retting of flax. He also helped work on
sleeping. Much of Beijerinck’s research was relevant to
production needs at the factory. For instance, he stud- sulfate reduction. G. Van Iterson, Jr., his assistant
ied the butyl alcohol fermentation of Schizosaccharo- from 1902 to 1907, obtained a doctoral degree under
rnyces octoporus and the nitrogen fixation of Bacillus Beijerinck’s guidance in 1907. By far his most brilliant
radicicoZa. He also studied luminous bacteria and student, Van Iterson studied denitrification and de-
green algae. composition of cellulose and later became an eminent

542 ASM News

Features

professor of botany. Yet another assistant, N. L. Sohn- Beijerinck was awarded many honors, including the
gen, was the first to describe organisms that use Leeuwenhoek Medal by the Royal Academy of Sciences
methane as an energy and carbon source by demon- at Amsterdam, honorary membership in the Royal
strating conversion of hydrogen to methane and ob- Botanical Society of Edinburgh, candidacy for a Nobel
taining the first enrichment cultures of methane-pro- Prize in chemistry, commandership in the Order of
ducing bacteria. Oranje-Nassau, corresponding membership in the
Czech-Slovakian Botanical Society, the Danish Emil
Beijerinck’s persistence was amazing. According to Christian Hansen Medal, and election as a foreign
den Dooren de Jong he would sometimes begin to member of the Royal Society of London.
examine inoculated plates in the morning and continue Beijerinck never married. In fact, he never dated
late into the evening on the same plates. His keen and had few, if any, female friends. He believed that
observations enabled him to discover many important marriage would interfere with his work. He was so
microorganisms and their functions (see box). reclusive that he even refused to have his picture
taken. After his father’s death, he lived in virtual
Beijerinck developed the principles of enrichment seclusion with his sisters, Henriette and Johanna,
culture. Through these techniques, he and others could except for socializing with the chemist Van’t Hoff and
more readily uncover the role of microorganisms in his wife.
natural processes and better harness these activities to Although Beijerinck retired in 1921, he never gave
benefit agriculture and industry. His unusual applica- up research. He died quietly on 1 January 1931 in
tion of these principles made him perhaps the first Gorssel, The Netherlands. cl
microbiologist to emphasize an ecological approach to
microbiology. “In an experimental sense, the ecological Suggested Reading
approach to microbiology consists of two complemen-
tary phases which give rise to an endless number of Van Iterson, G., L. E. den Dooren de Jong, and A. J. Kluyver. 1993.
experiments,” he noted. “On the one hand, it leads us to Martinus Willem Beijerinck, his life and work. A Publication
investigate the conditions for the development of or- Science Technology, Inc., Madison, Wis.
ganisms that have for some reason or other, perhaps
fortuitously, come to our attention; on the other hand, Van Niel, C. B. 1949. The “Delft School” and the rise of general
to the discovery of living organisms that appear under microbiology. Bacterial. Rev. 13: 161-174.
predetermined conditions, either because they alone
can develop, or because they are the more fit and win Waksman, S. A. 1931. Martinus Willem Beijerinck. Sci. Mon. 33:285-
out over their competitors. Especially this latter 288.
method, in reality nothing but the broadest application
of the elective culture method, is fruitful and truly Acknowledgment
scientific, and it is no exaggeration to claim that the
rapid and surprising advances in general microbiology We thank Hubert A. Lechevalier for his kind help with the
are due to this methodology.” manuscript.

VOL. 62,N0. lo,1996 543