Heinrich Anton de Bary is considered to be the father of Plant Pathology and modern Mycology. This great scientist was born in Germany in 1831. Although he graduated in Medicine, he devoted his entire life to Botany, more specifically to the study of fungi, algae and mixomyctes; he also made contributions to the area of bacteriology. His publications were numerous and diversified but his masterpiece contribution to Plant Pathology and Mycology were his studies of potato blight and cereal rust. He died at age 58.