How did the germ theory of disease get its name?

Answer 1

While Pasteur was not the first to propose germ theory (Girolamo Fracastoro, Agostino Bassi, Friedrich Henle and others had suggested it earlier), he developed it and conducted experiments that clearly indicated its correctness and managed to convince most of Europe it was true. Today he is often regarded as the father of germ theory and bacteriology, together with Robert Koch.

Answer 2

Louis Pasteur is widey regarded as father of germ theory.In fact he proved and established the theory rather than coming up with this thiory. Girolamo Fracastoro, Agostino Bassi introduced the theory almost in the modern form.Even many centuries before them many propositions of disease origin by germs or small organisms were suggested by several investigators.The proof of germ theory was devised by Robert Koch by his Koch's postulates.Koch and Pasteur are widely regarded as pioneers or fathers of germ theory.

Answer 3

When the germ theory of disease was first postulated, the exact nature of the infectious agents were unknown. They were called 'Germs', a word meaning 'sprout'. It was only later that the agents were identified as bacteria and viruses.

Answer 4

Although the idea that you can create scorpions by placing basil between two bricks and leaving them in the sun seems ridiculous to us now, the theory of spontaneous generation was hotly debated for hundreds of years, some thought that mice came from wheat and old shirts, people used to believe that worms, rather than hatching from the eggs of other worms, were created when dirt and
water made mud.

The germ theory of disease was not really fully developed until the 1870s but, 30 years before this, a doctor in Vienna called Ignaz Semmelweis made a discovery that was very important but not accepted at all at the time. Semmelweis worked in a maternity hospital where the Death Rate of mothers and babies was extremely high because of an infection commonly known as child bed fever or puerperal fever. However, Semmelweis quickly made a very unpopular observation; he noticed that the ward run by midwives had a much lower death rate than a ward run by doctors. At that time, doctors went from one patient to another without washing their hands, so the bacteria that caused child bed fever were transmitted easily around the ward.

Semmelweis’ suggestion that doctors cleaned up between patients, and wore clean coats for the ward and different clothing for the room where post mortems were carried out achieved a huge drop in death rates. However, his claim that the doctors were doing a worse job than the midwives led to him being shunned by his colleagues and dismissed from his position.

The conclusive proof was obtained by several scientists, but the most crucial evidence came from the work of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch in the 1860s and 1870s.
Pasteur showed that microorganisms grew in broth in a sealed tube, but no growth or spoiling of the broth occurred if it was boiled first.
Boiling killed the bacteria and other microorganisms and the process or boiling to keep food fresh is still called pasteurization.

Robert Koch demonstrated that the disease anthrax was caused by a bacterium. His basic criteria that proved the germ theory are now called Koch’s postulates and are still used today as a check list for proving that an infectious agent actually causes a specific disease.

Answer 5

The germ theory of disease got its name from the idea that tiny microorganisms, known as germs or microbes, can cause Infectious Diseases. This theory was developed by scientists in the 19th century, such as Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch, who discovered the link between these microbes and specific diseases.

Answer 6

Louis Pasteur came up with the idea of 'germ theory' but Robert Koch proved his theory correct later on.

Answer 7

Why the hell are none of wiki answers questions answered

Answer 8

Germ theory is based on the idea that microorganisms are the cause of certain diseases.

Answer 9

Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch