Louis Pasteur 1857
Germ Theory and Experiment:
Louis Pasteur developed the germ theory, which became our center of understanding of diseases. By conducting experiments and using microscopes, Pasteur was able to find that liquids, like beer and milk, went bad because of rapid multiplication of micro-organisms, germs. After further research and experimenting, Pasteur was able to determine that you could kill these micro-organisms by heating the liquid (known as pasteurisation).
The germ theory states that many diseases are caused by the presence and actions of specific micro-organisms within the body. This is why we wash our hands to avoid getting a disease. It is also why doctors pasteurise their utensils before working on another patient. One experiment Pasteur conducted involved broth (soup) and swan neck flasks. He had two flasks, one regular and one with it’s neck broken. They both had the broth boiled, and when time passed, the flask with the broken neck was broken and spoiled. The other broth was clean and still fresh. The broken flask had spoiled broth because bacteria/germs were able to get into the broth, while the regular flask had no opening that went straight to the broth. All the bacteria/germs were located at the only opening on the flask. This show what could happen if certain items weren’t pasteurised. By using his germ theory, Louis Pasteur created a few vaccines to diseases. He created vaccines for anthrax, cholera, TB, smallpox, and rabies. |