Germ theory : medical pioneers in infectious diseases

342 Pages·2011·2.78 MB·English

by  Robert P Gaynes

Germ
Theory
Medical Pioneers
in Infectious
Diseases
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Germ
Theory
Medical Pioneers
in Infectious
Diseases
Robert P. Gaynes, MD
Department of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia
Washington, DC
Cover images: front cover, left to right: Antony van Leeuwenhoek, Lillian Wald,
Louis Pasteur, and Joseph Lister; back cover, left to right: Ignaz Semmelweis,
Girolamo Fracastoro, Paul Ehrlich, and Edward Jenner. The image of Robert Koch
on the spine is from “Medicine through the Ages: a Mosaic” (artist, Sirio Tonelli),
Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Copyright © 2011 by ASM Press. ASM Press is a registered trademark of the Ameri-
can Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part or reused in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any informa-
tion storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Disclaimer: To the best of the publisher’s knowledge, this publication provides in-
formation concerning the subject matter covered that is accurate as of the date of
publication. The publisher is not providing legal, medical, or other professional
services. Any reference herein to any specific commercial products, procedures, or
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for Microbiology (ASM). The views and opinions of the author(s) expressed in this
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gaynes, Robert P.
Germ theory: medical pioneers in infectious diseases / Robert P. Gaynes.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-55581-529-5 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Germ theory of disease—History. 2.
Medical scientists—Biography. 3. Microbiologists—Biography. I. Title.
RB153.G39 2011
616.9’0410922—dc22
2011015512
doi:10.1128/9781555817220
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
Address editorial correspondence to ASM Press, 1752 N St., N.W., Washington, DC
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
Preface ix
About the Author xi
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Chapter 2 Hippocrates, the Father of Modern
Medicine 11
Chapter 3 Avicenna, a Thousand Years Ahead
of His Time 31
Chapter 4 Girolamo Fracastoro and Contagion in
Renaissance Medicine 45
Chapter 5 Antony van Leeuwenhoek and the
Birth of Microscopy 63
Chapter 6 The Demise of the Humoral
Theory of Medicine 79
Chapter 7 Edward Jenner and the Discovery
of Vaccination 93
Chapter 8 Ignaz Semmelweis and the Control of
Puerperal Sepsis 117
Chapter 9 Louis Pasteur and the Germ Theory
of Disease 143
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vi Germ Theory: Medical Pioneers in Infectious Diseases
Chapter 10 Robert Koch and the Rise of
Bacteriology 173
Chapter 11 Joseph Lister, the Man Who Made
Surgery Safe 207
Chapter 12 Paul Ehrlich and the Magic Bullet 235
Chapter 13 Alexander Fleming and the Discovery
of Penicillin 265
Chapter 14 Lillian Wald and the Foundations of Modern
Public Health 295
Chapter 15 Conclusions 311
Index 319
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Anyone who has been capable of attaining any accomplishment has
had at least one person help but usually many people who have
helped. In writing this book, I have been fortunate to have many
people review, edit, and inspire. I want to acknowledge Kirvin
Gilbert, Lisa Macklin, James Curran, Alicia Hidron, Elissa Meites,
Abeer Moanna, Mark Mulligan, David Rimland, Robert Rosman,
and Michael Schlossberg for their help and encouragement. I also
want to recognize the love and support from my children, Sara and
Matthew, and most of all, my wife, Sherry.
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PREFACE
History is simply the biography of the mind of man; and our interest in
history, and its educational value to us, is directly proportionate to the
completeness of our study of the individuals through whom this mind
has been manifested. To understand clearly our position in any science
today, we must go back to its beginnings, and trace its gradual develop-
ment.
Sir William Osler
In 2008, I gave a seminar to the Emory Division of Infectious Dis-
eases on the history of our field using short biographies of the people
who changed it. I began at the initial stages of Western medicine
in ancient Greece and ended with the discovery of penicillin and
the beginnings of modern antimicrobial therapy. The reaction that
I received was the inspiration for this book. Faculty, fellows, post-
doctoral students, residents, and medical students all appreciated
the seminar and commented on their lack of acquaintance with the
historical roots of their chosen discipline. A presentation at the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) some months later
yielded similar comments from those in public health. Designed to
describe the genesis of the germ theory of disease by those whose
discoveries shaped our understanding of it, this book is intended
not just for physicians or students of medicine but to be accessible to
anyone with an interest in microbiology, infectious diseases, medical
history, and, to a degree, biography.
I have chosen to weave the narrative of the origins of the germ
theory of disease through short biographies of the 11 men and 1
woman who changed the very fabric of our knowledge. Guided by
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