Otto Müller

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Otto Müller

1730-1784

Danish biologist whose work on bacteria was essential in laying the foundations of the field later known as microbiology. Müller was the second person known to have seen bacteria through a microscope, the first having been Anton van Leeuwenhoek a half-century earlier. However, Müller was the first to attempt to classify bacteria into various types, foreshadowing later work in this important field.