de Kruif, Paul Henry (02 March 1890–28 February 1971), bacteriologist and writer, was born in Zeeland, Michigan, the son of Hendrik de Kruif, a farm-equipment dealer, and Hendrika Kremer. As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, he read an article about Paul Ehrlich, the German bacteriologist and Nobel laureate, which he credited with inspiring him to become a “microbe hunter.” He received his B.S. degree in 1912 and remained at Michigan as a Rockefeller research fellow, working with ...
