Louis Pasteur's Germ Theory

Germ Theory The science of medicine is continuously changing and has been changing for as long as there has been civilization. One of the major discoveries that had a major influence was the germ theory by Louis Pasteur. The germ theory is an idea that diseases are caused by microorganisms of a specific kind. The scientific beliefs from prior to this discovery changed dramatically once this theory was introduced and other discoveries were heavily influenced by it. The germ theory is why people today get their vaccinations, why surgeons can have longer and more successful procedures,and why hand sanitizer and mouthwash are normal household staples. One of the first theories came from Greek philosopher, Hippocrates. He claimed that a slight …show more content…
In 1850 french chemist Louis Pasteur wanted to know why wine would become contaminated during the fermentation stage (Straus 75). His discoveries further led to the study of modern microbiology. Louis Pasteur demonstrated how to stop the souring of milk by destroying the microorganisms. This was done by heating the liquid and then cooling it. This is now known as pasteurization. Vaccinations developed in 1881 when Pasteur went to a farm and gave cows a weakened dose of anthrax and gave the other cows a full dose of the disease. When he later returned the 6 cows he had injected with the vaccination were still alive, while the others had died. These important discoveries of Louis Pasteur set the scene for medicine as known today but one of the biggest discoveries was basic rules of sterilization (Straus 76). Building on the discoveries of Louis Pasteur scientists have been able to make major accomplishments in the field of medicine. Vaccines for smallpox and for measles have now been produced and with his work these disease are now almost or completely eradicated. Building on Pasteur’s work British surgeon Joseph Lister became the Father of Antiseptic Surgery