3.1.2
Koch & Pasteur's Vaccination
The Work of Robert Koch – Microbe Hunting
The Work of Robert Koch – Microbe Hunting
Using Pasteur’s Germ Theory, a German doctor called Robert Koch explained that germs could cause human disease. He linked a disease to the microbe that caused it. This was the beginning of ‘bacteriology’.
Different germs
Different germs
- Koch showed that germs were not all the same.
- He identified the different microbes that caused anthrax in 1876, septicaemia in 1878, tuberculosis in 1882 and cholera in 1883 by injecting animals with diseases. He then dyed bacteria and viewed them using microscopes.
- Other scientists then discovered typhus in 1880, pneumonia in 1880, tetanus in 1884, diphtheria in 1884 and the plague in 1890.
Germ Theory in the UK
Germ Theory in the UK
- Koch and Pasteur’s studies were picked up by many scientists in Britain.
- John Tyndall gave lectures on Germ Theory to British doctors. He refuted (disagreed with) Bastian’s ideas of spontaneous generation.
- Dr William Roberts created a medical version of Germ Theory.
Koch's work in the UK
Koch's work in the UK
- William Cheyne translated Koch’s work and highlighted that not all microbes caused harmful disease.
- Koch and Pasteur inspired a generation of scientists who were called ‘microbe hunters’.
- These scientists became interested in diseases and how to prevent them.
Pasteur and Vaccination
Pasteur and Vaccination
Pasteur and Koch tried to apply Germ Theory to develop more advanced vaccinations.
Chance discovery
Chance discovery
- In 1879, Pasteur accidentally showed that vaccinations could prevent disease.
- After a researcher Charles Chamberland left out a cholera culture over the weekend, they discovered that weakened (attenuated) cholera germs could make a chicken immune from later stronger bouts of cholera.
Vaccines
Vaccines
- In 1881, Pasteur produced a weakened (attenuated) vaccine for anthrax in sheep.
- By 1884, Pasteur created a vaccine for rabies. A year later this was applied to human subjects.
- Pasteur’s contribution to vaccines is so significant because it allowed some of the world’s deadliest diseases to be eradicated.
Rivalry and war
Rivalry and war
- In 1871, the Franco-Prussian war (between France and Germany) ended. Some historians think national rivalry between Pasteur and Koch drove developments.
- Scientific advances were propelled forward by competition.
Diphtheria
Diphtheria
- There was internal rivalry to understand a germ called diphtheria.
- By 1890, Pierre Roux had shown that diphtheria produced a poison.
- Later in 1890, Emil Behring showed that if diphtheria was diluted it could produce an antitoxin.
1Medicine in Medieval England
1.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
1.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
2The Medical Renaissance in England
2.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
2.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
3Medicine in 18th & 19th Century Britain
3.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
3.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
4Medicine in Modern Britain
4.1Modern Understanding of Disease
4.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
5Treatment in WW1
6Themes in Medicine
7Some Extra Context (Not Compulsory for Exam)
7.1Medieval Medicine
Jump to other topics
1Medicine in Medieval England
1.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
1.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
2The Medical Renaissance in England
2.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
2.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
3Medicine in 18th & 19th Century Britain
3.1Ideas about the Cause of Disease & Illness
3.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
4Medicine in Modern Britain
4.1Modern Understanding of Disease
4.2Approaches to Prevention & Treatment
5Treatment in WW1
6Themes in Medicine
7Some Extra Context (Not Compulsory for Exam)
7.1Medieval Medicine
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