Germ Theory

(and Louis
Pasteur)
In the 19th Century

 People knew there was a link between dirt and disease,

but could not explain the link.
 People explained disease as seeds. Bad seeds in the air
known as miasma.
 In the 1850s &1860s there was a breakthrough in the
cause of disease….
1. The Discovery of Micro-
organisms
 Anthony Van Leeuwenhoek made
one of the earliest microscopes.
 Van Leeuwenhoek discovered
micro-organisms - which he
called animalcules.
 His microscope was not as
powerful as the ones we have
today
2. Improved Microscopes

 In the 1800s purer glass

produced = better
lenses for microscope.
 1830 Joseph Lister
develops a microscope
which could magnify
x1000
3. Louis Pasteur proposes his
“Germ theory”
By 1800 some doctors were beginning to
speculate about germs or micro-
organisms. This was mainly due to the
invention of the microscope.

 Old Theory: spontaneous generation

Many doctors believed germs were the
result of disease and not the cause of it!

 New Theory: germ theory

Pasteur believed micro-organisms
caused decaying matter. Pasteur
showed you could kill the micro-
organisms by applying heat -
PASTEURISATION.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

4. Germ Theory

Pasteur proved his theory.

Pasteur conducted an
experiment showing that
microbes in the air caused
decay.

1861 published his ‘Germ

Theory’
 5. Micro-
organisms linked
to disease

 Pasteur showed micro-

organisms made wine
and beer go bad.
 Pasteur also proved that
germs cause disease. He
showed that a micro-
organism could cause
disease in silk worms.
Microorganisms from today!
6. Specific microorganism-
bacteria linked to human
disease
 Pasteur never showed the
link between bacteria and
human disease.
 But, Robert Koch did!
  Koch took Pasteur’s work a step further.
 He linked particular germs to particular
diseases:
1875 -identified the germ for
anthrax.
1882 -discovered the germ for
7. Robert tuberculosis. (TB)
1883 -discovered the germ for
Koch cholera.
 With the development of technology he
discovered microbes that had preciously
been invisible to the most powerful
microscopes.
 He even developed ways of staining the
microbes with dyes so he could calculate
their life span and rates of reproduction.
Microorganisms

Figure 1.1
Thank you