Imagine life without medicines. The disease would eventually overtake the body of those who fell ill. The disease caused the organs to shut-down, and ultimately killed those who were affected. It was a different world back in the early 1800s. Germs were unknown to people. Webster defines germs as organisms that cause disease. The effect of germs caused widespread outbreaks cholera. It is believed that the discovery of germs led directly to the greatest medical breakthrough of the nineteenth century. Louis Pasteur was credited as the inventor of germ theory. The germ theory is a result of his numerous experiments. Germ Theory is a very important part of European historical development because of its discovery that certain illnesses are caused by the invading microorganisms. It has led to vaccinations, antibiotics, and other innovations.
Herbalism and tradition were the dominant medical practices before the discovery of germ theory apothecaries. Many people believed that opening a vein would allow the disease to escape. The practice of bloodletting was both defensive and therapeutic. It was used to treat almost all diseases. Lead poisoning caused by people cutting themselves with lead pieces killed them faster than the illness itself. Apothecaries sold elaborate potions at astronomical prices. Trying to heal themselves led people to become bankrupt. It has been a long time since people wanted better medical treatment. However, all the hocus-pocus they believed caused them more harm. The germ theory has helped us to deal with diseases better. The treatments used were unsanitary, and often aggravated the disease. Unsanitary conditions in hospitals led to gangrene. Gangrene spread throughout hospitals in Europe and took many people’s lives.
The medical field before 1860 is chaotic and ineffective. Medical professionals had to first determine the cause of disease in order to begin treating it. In the early nineteenth century, life spans were based on age 20. Fever killed more children than war or famine. The French Revolution brought about the development of clinical sanitation, which allowed doctors to make accurate diagnoses and descriptions of different types of fever. There was a debate amongst all doctors about whether disease came from the outside or was internal. Antoine Lavoisier was one of many doctors who came to the conclusion disease is intrinsic. John Snow did not know that fevers could be contagious. Louis Pasteur, a medical researcher who was interested in germ theory, conducted formal experiments.
Louis Pasteur was raised in a modest, Catholic home. He was described by his peers as a typical student who enjoyed fishing. Pastur was a professor who also worked as a chemical engineer. His occupation changed quickly. In 1848, he was appointed chemistry professor at the University of Strasbourg. Pasteur started his career with this work. Scientists and historians consider it “some the most renowned scientific work”. Pasteur expanded his research after completing his work on tartrate particles. He began investigating fermentation. He discovered that the fermentation process is the simple decomposition and degradation of yeast particles. Pasteur attributed disease to microorganisms after discovering that beverages were contaminated. He proposed that bacteria can enter the body to cause infections. Joseph Lister’s discovery allowed him to perform sanitary and clean surgery and create antiseptics. Pasteur’s remarkable discoveries in medicine, fermentation and vaccination have left a lasting impact.
Louis Pasteur was the first to conduct formal germological experiments. Pasteur started his experiments with milk and alcohol beverages. Germ theory aims to determine at what temperature microorganisms can be harmful to humans. Pasteur proved that yeasts can be found in the grape skin, which is why he sterilized them. With a sterile needle, he extracted the juice of grapes from beneath the skin. The grapes were then covered with sterilized cloth. In either experiment, the wine was not produced in sterile containers. These ideas were at odds with the widely accepted notions of spontaneous production. This is the idea that nonliving matter can produce living organisms, which is inferred based on an apparent appearance of a life-like environment. Pasteur performed many experiments to disprove spontaneous generation. Louis Pasteur’s germ-theory was proven to be valid by disproving spontaneity.
Robert Koch began studying Bacillus Anthracis or anthrax. The disease originated in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and the surrounding areas. Koch studied the effects of anthrax on farm animals first. Koch used the bacteria of farm animals that had been infected with anthrax to infect mice. The same experiment was performed, but the anthrax was replaced with healthy cow blood. The mice who were infected died from anthrax, while the mice who weren’t infected remained healthy. Koch had proof that the anthrax bacteria was responsible for the disease. In order to prove that anthrax was capable of causing a disease, he started producing pure samples. This experiment by Koch was a significant one for the understanding of microbiology. Koch’s experiments helped Pasteur immensely, but they also allowed him to discover more bacteria. Koch discovered the bacteria responsible for Tuberculosis in the nineteenth century.
Both short-term and long-term effects were observed with the germ theory. The effects of germ theory were immediate and large. Anthrax often dominated cattle herds, and cholera contaminated the city water supplies. In the early days of vaccination, it was discovered that bacteria were responsible for disease. Pasteur’s first anthrax-vaccination was developed in 1881. Pasteur’s anthrax vaccine relied on potassium dichromate. This ingredient was the key to Pasteur’s vaccine. It would increase national health rates and reduce cholera outbreaks. Pasteur was jealous of a scientist who was researching the same thing. In order to avoid being accused of misleading information, he omitted the essential ingredient potassium dichromate from the recipe for the vaccination. The short-term impacts were enormous, yet the longer-term ones are far greater. Louis Pastur’s germ theory led to the discovery of penicillin, antibiotics and a spread of sanitation outside Europe.
Louis Pasteur’s legacy is enduring. In many countries, streets are named in his honor, and an institute is still active, which studies how to develop better vaccines. Pasteur’s dedication to sanitation led him to discover many illnesses, including bacteria. These diseases could still be present today. Pasteur’s theory has been around for a long time and is still used as the basis of biomedicine. Pasteur’s research was thorough, bold, and bold. This is why we honor him as a great scientist who had a profound impact on society.
References
Original: In conclusion
Paraphrased: To sum up
“Diseases Caused by Microorganisms.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2016, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseases_caused_by_microorganisms.
Gaynes, Robert P. Germ theory: Medical pioneers in infectious diseases. The ASM Press published the work in 2011.
“Science Museum. Brought to Life: Exploring the History of Medicine.” Home, broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife.