Tag Archives: germ theory of disease

Pasteur and Lister featured in “The Outside World”

Joseph Lister and his Carbolic Acid Spray

Originally published in “The Outside World” A General History for Standard VI., The last hundred years have seen great progress in the fight against disease. Half a century before laughing gas was made of use to ease pain, it had been discovered by SIR HUMPHRY DAVY, but his discovery had not been practically applied. The successful introduction of anaesthetics for …

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Virchow’s Cell Theory vs Pasteur’s Germ Theory

Illustration of Virchow's Cell Theory

Originally published online by with Richar G Fiddian-Green on CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, September 3, 2004 The Germ Theory was formulated by Louis Pasteur along with Robert Koch. The Germ Theory of disease states that “a specific disease is caused by a specific type of microorganism.” The theory gained strong support from the Viennese obstetrician, Dr. Ignac Semmelweis, who …

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Germ Theory of Disease

Anthrax Spores

Originally published at AnimalResearch.Info Proving the germ theory of disease was the crowning achievement of the French scientist Louis Pasteur. He was not the first to propose that diseases were caused by microscopic organisms, but the view was controversial in the 19th century, and opposed the accepted theory of “spontaneous generation”. Pasteur set out to understand the fermentation process, and …

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Louis Pasteur and the Germ Theory

Pasteur conducting germ theory experiment in his laboratory

Excerpted from Stanford University School of Medicine and the Predecessor Schools: An Historical Perspective by John L. Wilson. Used with permission by the Stanford Medical History Center. The Germ Theory In 1854 Pasteur, then 32 years of age, was appointed Professor of Chemistry and Dean of the newly organized Faculté des Sciences in the city of Lille, the richest center …

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The Most Important Innovation of All Time

Louis Pasteur germs experiment

As with many great innovations, hand washing started with a scientific discovery – the germ theory of disease. And as with some innovations, the theory was driven by beer. Louis Pasteur’s work was motivated by brewers who couldn’t figure out why some batches of beer fermented well, while others failed. So in trying to make better beer, Pasteur made us …

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