The name "virus" was given by Martinus Willem Beijerinck.
Beijerinck, a Dutch microbiologist and botanist, made significant contributions to virology. He didn't discover viruses, but he was instrumental in understanding their nature. In 1898, while studying the mosaic disease in tobacco plants, he conducted experiments using filtered extracts from infected plants. These extracts remained infectious even after being filtered, indicating that the infectious agent was much smaller than bacteria.
Beijerinck concluded that the disease was caused by a new kind of infectious agent, which he termed a contagium vivum fluidum, meaning a "contagious living fluid." He used the term "virus" (Latin for "poison" or "slimy liquid") to describe this agent. He proposed that the virus could only multiply within living cells and that it was a liquid, diffusing through agar gel. Although we now know that viruses aren't liquids, Beijerinck's work was crucial in establishing the concept of viruses as distinct infectious entities. His research laid the groundwork for future studies that would eventually lead to the identification and characterization of viruses.
