Germ theory of disease - Germ theory of disease The germ theory of disease states that many diseases are caused by microorganisms, and that microorganisms grow by reproduction, rather than being spontaneously generated. Microorganisms were first observed by Anton van Leeuwenhoek. Louis Pasteur demonstrated that fermentation and the growth of microorganisms in nutrient broths was not caused by spontaneous generation. He exposed freshly boiled broths to air in vessels that contained a filter to stop all particles passing through to the growth medium: and even with no filter at all, with air being admitted via a long tortuous tube that would not pass dust particles. Nothing grew in the broths, therefore the living organisms that grew in such broths came from outside, as spores on dust, rather than being generated within.
Miasma theory of disease - Miasma theory of disease The miasma theory of disease held that diseases like cholera were caused by a miasma (Greek language: "pollution"), a noxious form of "bad air". The miasma theory was consistent with the observations that: disease was associated with poor sanitation (and hence foul odors) and that sanitary improvements reduced disease, but not with the observations of microbiology that led to the germ theory of disease. Although incorrect, the miasma theory helped motivate major improvements in sanitation. Prominent supporters of the miasma theory included: Abaris the Hyperborean who famously cleaned Sparta under Mount Taygetus from miasmata coming downhill. William Farr Florence Nightingale.
Germs - Germs Germ is an informal term for a disease-causing organism, particularly bacteria (as in germ warfare). The word is not to be confused with the term from developmental biology (as in wheat germ). One of the first people to postulate the presence of some kind of disease causing substance was Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian doctor, practicing in an obstetrics ward in the 1840s. He noticed that the death rate of the impoverished women attended by the nurse midwives was many times less than that of the wealthier women attended by the doctors. His observations led him to conclude that it was a matter of cleanliness. The doctors, on their schedules, went directly from the morgue to the obstetrics ward without wash their hands. When he tried to.
Fermentation theory - Fermentation theory The fermentation theory of disease is the (now obsolete) concept that many diseases, including the diseases which were "epidemic, endemic and contagious," were regarded as owing their origin to the presence of a "morbific principle" in the system, acting in a manner analogous to, although not identical with, the process of fermentation. It was rendered obsolete by the germ theory of disease, which led to the new science of bacteriology. See also: Zymotic diseases (for the Greek language term zumoun for "ferment").
Joseph Lister - been in use as a means of deodorising sewage, so Lister tested the results of spraying instruments, the surgical incisions, and dressings with a solution of it. Lister found that carbolic acid solution swabbed on wounds markedly reduced the incidence of gangrene and subsequently published a series of articles on the Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery describing this procedure on March 16 1867 in the journal The Lancet. He also made surgeons wear clean gloves and wash their hands before and after operations with 5% carbolic acid solutions. Instruments were also washed in the same solution and assistants sprayed the solution in the operating theatre. Many of his contemporaries laughed at him but Lister was said to have never bothered to reply and only heaved an occasional sigh at.
Vitalism - in vitalism equate this element with the soul. Vitalism has a long history in medical philosophies. Most traditional healing practices posited that disease was the result of some imbalance in the vital energies which distinguish living from non-living matter. In the western tradition, these vital forces were identified as the humourss; eastern traditions posited similar forces such as qi, prana, etc. Aided by the discovery of the microscope, the germ theory of disease, which began to gain momentum in the 16th century, challenged the role of vitalism in western medicine. Attention was also drawn to the role of the various organs of the human anatomy, as opposed to vital forces, in the maintenance of life. Experiments in the early 19th century continued to erode support for vitalism in the western scientific.
Ignaz Semmelweis - the street than being brought into the death-pavilion. He pondered the situation, and found that the only difference was that the fatal pavilion was staffed by student doctors, while the benign pavilion was staffed by midwives. Both used the same techniques. After testing a few hypotheses, Semmelweis finally concluded that the difference could only be attributable to the fact that the medical students were handling corpses before attending the women. He found that the number of cases was drastically reduced if the doctors washed their hands carefully before dealing with a pregnant woman. The germ theory of disease had not yet been developed at the time. Thus, Semmelweiss concluded that some unknown "cadaveric material" caused childbed fever. He lectured publicly about his results in 1850, but the reception by the medical.
History of science and technology - ideas are often given short shrift. There is controversy over what the lesson of the Galileo story is. While some see Galileo's saga as an example of the arrogance of authority, others argue that rejection of new ideas today cannot be directly compared with examples such as Galileo. Theories developed and tested by following the currently accepted principles of scientific investigation closely, as Galileo did, are generally accepted however surprising they may be, whereas ideas that make yet unproven and seemingly unjustified assumptions are termed pseudoscience. Contribution to knowledge Even so, after enough time, even the most unpopular idea can become a new scientific orthodoxy, if it can survive experimental test satisfactorily. For example, the germ theory of disease has become so prevalent that pasteurization and Listerine are household words, even.
Hygiene - of good hygiene include the absence of visible dirt (including dust and stains on clothing) or of bad smellss. Since the development of the germ theory of disease, hygiene has come to mean any practice leading to the absence of harmful levels of germs. Good hygiene is an aid to health, beauty, comfort and social intercourse. Good hygiene directly aids in disease prevention and/or disease isolation. (That is, if you are healthy, good hygiene will help you avoid illness. If you are sick, good hygiene can reduce your contagiousness to others.) Washing is the most common example of hygienic behavior. Washing is often done with soap or detergent which helps to remove oils and to break up dirt particles so they may be washed away. Hygienic practices -- such as frequent.
1870 in science - 5 Physics 6 Technology 7 Births 8 Deaths Ecology Introduced rabbitss reach the New South Wales border in Australia. Mathematics Felix Klein constructs an analytic geometry for Lobachevski's geometry theory establishing its self-consistency and the logical independence of Euclid's fifth postulate. Medicine Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch establish the germ theory of disease. Meterology November 1 - In the United States, the newly-created Weather Bureau (later renamed the National Weather Service) makes its first official meteorological forecast: "High winds at Chicago and Milwaukee... and along the Lakes". Physics Rudolph Clausius proves the scalar virial theorem. Technology February 26 - In New York City, the first pneumatic-subway is opened. Collotype black and white photographic process invented. The Magic Lantern movie projector is invented by Henry R. Heyl. The stock ticker is invented.
Basic theories of science - part of the basic knowledge that should be known by all children as part of their education. Physics: the atomic theory the theory of gravity Newton's laws of motion the law of conservation of energy Chemistry: the discovery of the chemical elements Cosmology: the belief in a spherical earth heliocentric theory of the solar system Biology: the cell theory the germ theory of disease Darwin's theory of evolution.
Cleanliness - dust, stains and a bad smell. In more recent times, since the germ theory of disease, it has also come to mean an absence of germs. It can apply to humans, animals, clothing, eating utensils, plates, pans, cups, etc., food, other movable objects, floors, windows, walls, toilets, etc. Purposes of cleanliness are health, beauty, absence of bad smell, other comfort, avoidance of shame, and for avoiding spreading dirt and germs to oneself and other people, places or objects. In the case of windows the purpose is also transparency. Washing is often done with soap, detergent, etc., often a different kind for different applications. People usually wash themselves. Little children and sick and disabled people may be washed by someone else. For fun lovers etc. may wash each other. Often a shower.
Timeline of medicine and medical technology - heart 1628 - William Harvey explains the vein-artery system and structure of the heart in De Motu Cordis et Sanguinis 1701 - Giacomo Pylarini gives the first smallpox inoculations 1747 - James Lind discovers that citrus fruits prevent scurvy 1763 - Claudius Aymand performs the first successful appendectomy 1790s - Samuel Hahnemann rages against the prevalent practice of bloodletting as a universal cure and founds homeopathy 1796 - Edward Jenner develops a smallpox vaccination method 1800 - Humphry Davy announces the anaesthetic properties of nitrous oxide 1816 - Rene Laennec invents the stethoscope 1842 - Crawford Long performs the first surgical operation using anasthesia 1847 - Ignaz Semmelweis studies and prevents the transmission of puerperal fever 1870 - Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch establish the germ theory of disease 1881 -.
Sanitation - particularly human excrement. Sanitation is an important public health measure which is essential for the prevention of disease. This is a pathetic stub article -- much more needs to be written here Topics to cover: Toilets and the invention of the water closet sewers and sewage treatment cesspits the germ theory of disease (and its predecessor, the miasma theory of disease) Dr. John Snow and the prevention of cholera in Soho See also: Wiktionary definition of sanitation.
Walter Reed - medical officer with the US Army in the 1880s, a time of great advances in medicine due to widespread acceptance of Louis Pasteur's germ theory of disease as well as the methods of studying bacteria developed by Robert Koch. Reed worked closely with George Miller Sternberg, the Army Surgeon General, who was one of the founders of bacteriology. Yellow fever became a problem for the Army during the Spanish American War, when the disease felled thousands of soldiers in Cuba. In May 1900, Reed, a major, was appointed president of a board "to study infectious diseases in Cuba paying particular attention to yellow fever." This board eventually proved both the transmission by mosiquots and disproved the common belief that yellow fever could be transmitted by clothing and bedding soiled by the.
Richard Owen - until the completion of this work in 1884, when he received the distinction of K.C.B., and thenceforward lived quietly in retirement at Sheen Lodge, Richmond Park, until his death. Work on invertebrates While occupied with the cataloguing of the Hunterian collection, Owen did not confine his attention to the preparations before him, but also seized every opportunity of dissecting fresh subjects. He was especially favoured with the privilege of investigating the animals which died in the Zoological Society's gardens; and when that society began to publish scientific proceedings in 1831, he was the most voluminous contributor of anatomical papers. His first notable publication, however, was his Memoir on the Pearly Nautilus (London, 1832), which was soon recognized as a classic. Henceforth he continued to make important contributions to every department of.
Ritual purification - uncleanliness, which may be real or symbolic. Most of these rituals were created long before the germ theory of disease. Baptism is a common form of ritual purification. The Hebrew Bible has many rituals of purification relating to menstruation, childbirth, sexual relations, disease, and animal sacrifices. These laws were observed by the ancient Israelites. Judaism is based on the Hebrew Bible as viewed through the oral law, including the Mishnah and Talmud. Judaism still observes laws concerning ritual purity in regards to sexual relations between married couples. Other ritual purity rules still followed include those for washing in the morning, and washing one's hands before eating a meal. The other laws of ritual purity are usually not followed, as they with ritual purity in the land of Israel, and the Temple.
William Farr - contribution was to set up a system for routinely recording the causes of death. For example, for the first time it allowed the mortality rates of different occupations to be compared. In 1839, he joined the Statistical Society and played an active part in it as treasurer, vice-president and president over the years. He remarried in 1842 and had eight children. There was a major outbreak of cholera in London in 1849 which killed around 15000 people. Early industrialisation had made London the most populous city in the World at the time, and the River Thames was heavily polluted with untreated sewage. Farr subscribed to the conventional theory that cholera was carried by polluted air rather than water - the miasmic theory. As a result of studying this outbreak, the physician.
Magic (paranormal) - motivation of much scientific enquiry is similar to the motivation of magic; that it is possible to discover the underlying reality behind mundane reality, and that that reality may have laws and princples which may be discovered and controlled. Unlike the practice of magic, science has the scientific method to correct its errors. As the scientific method took hold, astronomy evolved from astrology, and chemistry from alchemy. Belief in various magical practices has waxed and waned in European and Western history, under pressure from either organised monotheistic religions or from scepticism about the reality of magic, and the ascendency of scientism. The time of the Emperor Julian of Rome, marked by a reaction against the influence of Christianity, saw a revival of magical practices associated with neo-Platonism under the guise of.
May 2003 - Sant is awarded the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his film Elephant May 24, 2003 Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani marries his girlfriend Judith Nathan Police in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana release information on a new suspect in the Baton Rouge Serial Killer case. [1] May 23, 2003 U.S. Congress passes a $350 billion tax cut plan. The plan is less than half the size of President Bush's original proposal. Vice President Dick Cheney casts the deciding vote, breaking the 50-50 tie in the Senate [1] The Euro breaks through its 1999 launch exchange rate of USD 1.1747 for the first time. [1] May 22, 2003 2003 occupation of Iraq: Senators grill Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz on the status of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. 2003.
