Nursing theories
open access articles on nursing theories and models
Germ Theory of Disease
Introduction
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Germ theory states that specific microscopic organisms are the cause of specific diseases.
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Germ theory is also called the pathogenic theory of medicine.
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Germ theory led in to the development of antibiotics and hygienic practices.
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It is considered as the cornerstone of modern medicine and clinical microbiology.
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Major contributors to germ theory are:
- Antoni van Leeuwenhoek
- Francesco Redi
- Rudolf Virchow
- Louis Pasteur
- Joseph Lister
- Robert Koch
Terms
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Microbes, or microorganisms - minute living things that are usually unable to be viewed with the naked eye.
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Germ - refers to a rapidly growing cell.
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Spontaneous generation - the hypothesis that living organisms arise from nonliving matter. It was an important early development in the germ theory.
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Biogenesis: living cells can arise only from preexisting cells.
- Antibiotics - chemicals produced by bacteria and fungi that inhibit or kill other microbes.
Major Concepts
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Explains the phenomenon of disease transmission
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Means of speculative explanation and prediction of certain observable events
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Allows us to effectively function to prevent transmission of communicable disease.
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Viable basis upon which to make decisions about how to prevent certain illnesses.
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There are phenomena we do not understand that are related to germ transmission, e.g. the communicability of cancer.
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1673-1723)
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Microorganisms were first directly observed by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, who is considered the father of microbiology.
Edward Jenner
- In 1796, Edward Jenner inoculated a person with cowpox virus.
Agostino Bassi (1835)
- Agostino Bassi showed a silkworm disease was caused by a fungus.
Ignaz Semmelwise (1840)
- He advocated hand washing to prevent transmission of puerperal fever from one patient to another.
Louis Pasteur
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Louis Pasteur was one of the first to link germs to disease.
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In 1861, Louis Pasteur demonstrated that microorganisms are present in the air.
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Pasteur discovered vaccines for chicken cholera. (1880), Anthrax (1881) and Rabies (1885).
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Pasteur also showed that microbes are responsible for fermentation.
Joseph Lister
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Joseph Lister is considered as inventor of antiseptic surgical techniques.
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In 1860s, Joseph Lister used a chemical disinfectant to prevent surgical wound infections.
Robert Koch
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In 1876, Robert Koch explained a bacterium causes anthrax.
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In 1882, he discovered the germ that caused tuberculosis. (TB)
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In 1883, he discovered the germ that caused cholera.
Alexander Fleming
- In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic from Penicillium fungus.
References
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"The History of the Germ Theory". The British Medical Journal 1 (1415): 312. 1888.
- Germ Theory in Contagion: Historical Views of Diseases and Epidemics. Harvard University Library; accessed on 8/9/2011. Available at http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/germtheory.html