How did Robert Koch prove that certain microbes led to certain diseases ?
Amy, In an 1890 publication, Robert Koch proved that certain microbes led to certain diseases. The germ theory is a fundamental tenet of medicine that states that microorganisms, which are too small to be seen without the aid of a microscope, can invade the body and cause certain diseases. Until the acceptance of the germ theory, many people believed that disease was punishment for a person’s evil behavior. When entire populations fell ill, the disease was often blamed on swamp vapors or foul odors from sewage. It was not until 1876 the German physician Robert Koch proved that bacteria can cause diseases. Koch showed that the bacterium Bacillus anthracis was the cause of anthrax in cattle and sheep, and he discovered the organism that causes tuberculosis. Koch’s systematic methodology in proving the cause of anthrax was generalized into a specific set of guidelines for determining the cause of infectious diseases, now known as Koch’s postulates. Thus, the following steps are generally
