Theories
Germ Theory of Disease
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Germ theory holds that many diseases are caused by microorganisms invading and multiplying within the body, replacing older explanations such as bad air or spontaneous generation. Its acceptance is credited jointly to Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister and Robert Koch, with Pasteur most often named as the primary figure in general encyclopedic accounts.
Facts
Proposed Year1859 is the year Britannica dates Pasteur's decision to settle the spontaneous-generation dispute and his swan-neck flask work; germ theory developed cumulatively through the 1860s to 1880s as Lister and Koch added further evidence. Cross-Tradition Connections
Belongs To
Proposed By
Koch's anthrax (1876) and tuberculosis (1882) work and his 1884 postulates are credited jointly with Pasteur as founding germ theory and bacteriology.
Tested By
Pasteur's 1859 to 1864 swan-neck flask experiments disproved spontaneous generation by showing sterilized broth stayed sterile so long as airborne microorganisms, not air itself, were kept from reaching it; this removed the leading rival explanation for microbial growth and cleared the ground for germ theory acceptance.
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