Editing Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (section)

==Legacy and recognition==

[[File:Gezicht op de vismarkt en de Vleeshal te Delft Zee-visch marckt en Vlees-hal (titel op object), RP-P-AO-11-20.jpg|thumb|View on Fish- and Meatmarket in Delft, opposite of Van Leeuwenhoek's house]] [[File:Vleeshal Delft.jpg|thumb|Vleeshal Delft]]

By the end of his life, Van Leeuwenhoek had written approximately 560 letters to the Royal Society and other scientific institutions concerning his observations and discoveries. Even during the last weeks of his life, Van Leeuwenhoek continued to send letters full of observations to London. The last few contained a precise description of his own illness. He suffered from a rare disease, an uncontrolled movement of the [[midriff]], which now is named ''[[Van Leeuwenhoek's disease]]''.<ref>Life and work of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek of Delft in Holland; 1632–1723 (1980) Published by the Municipal Archives Delft, p. 9</ref> He died at the age of 90, on 26 August 1723, and was buried four days later in the [[Oude Kerk (Delft)|Oude Kerk]] in Delft.<ref>{{cite book |first=Antoni |last=van Leeuwenhoek |title=On the circulation of the blood: Latin text of his 65th letter to the Royal Society, Sept. 7th, 1688 |year=1962 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill Hes & De Graaf]] |page=28 |isbn=9789060040980}}</ref>

In 1981, the British microscopist [[Brian J. Ford]] found that Van Leeuwenhoek's original specimens had survived in the collections of the Royal Society of London. They were found to be of high quality, and all were well preserved.<ref>''Biology History'' vol 5(3), December 1992</ref><ref>''The Microscope'' vol 43(2) pp 47–57</ref><ref>''Spektrum der Wissenschaft'' pp. 68–71, June 1998</ref> Ford carried out observations with a range of single-lens microscopes, adding to our knowledge of Van Leeuwenhoek's work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brianjford.com/wavintr.htm |title=The discovery by Brian J Ford of Leeuwenhoek's original specimens, from the dawn of microscopy in the 16th century |publisher=Brianjford.com |access-date=13 June 2010}}</ref> In Ford's opinion, Leeuwenhoek remained imperfectly understood, the popular view that his work was crude and undisciplined at odds with the evidence of conscientious and painstaking observation. He constructed rational and repeatable experimental procedures and was willing to oppose [[received opinion]], such as [[spontaneous generation]], and he changed his mind in the light of evidence.<ref name="BrianJFord_1992"/>

On his importance in the history of microbiology and science in general, the British biochemist [[Nick Lane]] wrote that he was "the first even to think of looking—certainly, the first with the power to see." His experiments were ingenious, and he was "a scientist of the highest calibre", attacked by people who envied him or "scorned his unschooled origins", not helped by his secrecy about his methods.<ref name="NickLane_RS"/>

The [[Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital]] in Amsterdam, named after Van Leeuwenhoek, is specialized in [[oncology]].<ref>[https://www.avl.nl/ Antoni van Leeuwenhoek] (in Dutch). www.avl.nl accessed 25 October 2016.</ref> In 2004, a public poll in the Netherlands to determine the greatest [[Dutch people|Dutchman]] ("[[De Grootste Nederlander]]") named Van Leeuwenhoek the 4th-greatest Dutchman of all time.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.com/2/hi/europe/4015173.stm |title=Fortuyn voted greatest Dutchman |website=news.bbc.com |date=16 November 2004 |access-date=26 March 2020 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

On 24 October 2016, Google commemorated the 384th anniversary of Van Leeuwenhoek's birth with a [[Google Doodle|Doodle]] that depicted his discovery of "little animals" or animalcules, now known as unicellular organisms.<ref>[https://time.com/4542058/antoni-van-leeuwenhoek-google-doodle/ New Google Doodle Celebrates Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Inventor of Microbiology] time.com accessed 24 October 2016.</ref>

The [[Leeuwenhoek Medal]], [[Leeuwenhoek Lecture]], [[Leeuwenhoek (crater)|Leeuwenhoek crater]], ''[[Leeuwenhoeckia]]'', ''[[Levenhookia]]'' (a genus in the family Stylidiaceae), ''[[Leeuwenhoekiella]]'' (an aerobic bacterial genus), and the scientific publication ''[[Antonie van Leeuwenhoek: International Journal of General and Molecular Microbiology]]'' are named after him.<ref>[https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/awards/leeuwenhoek-lecture/ Leeuwenhoek Medal and Lecture] ''royalsociety.org'' accessed 24 October 2020</ref>

As a fictional character, he appears as a [[flea circus]] owner, microscopist and magician in [[E.T.A. Hoffmann]]'s novel [[Master Flea]], together with [[Jan Swammerdam]].

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Memorial Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.jpg|Memorial of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in the [[Oude Kerk (Delft)|Oude Kerk]] in Delft
File:Graf Leeuwenhoek2.jpg|alt=Gravestone with Dutch inscription|Antonie van Leeuwenhoek is buried in the Oude Kerk.
File:Delft - Het Gouden Hoofd (Hippolytusbuurt).jpg|Het Gouden Hoofd (Hippolytusbuurt 1–3, Delft)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lensonleeuwenhoek.net/content/hippolytusbuurt-3 | title=Hippolytusbuurt 3, Leeuwenhoek's Home and Laboratory &#124; Lens on Leeuwenhoek |website=lensonleeuwenhoek.net}}</ref>
</gallery>