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Importance in this history of medicine
Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in hoofed mammals and can also infect humans.
'''Anthrax''' is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis.'' Anthrax most commonly occurs in hoofed mammals and can also infect humans.
Anthrax is important in the history of medicine. In 1875, the pioneering bacteriologist [[Robert Koch]] convincingly proved for the first time that a particular disease, anthrax, was caused by a specific bacterium. Koch's proof involved performing four steps, which have become known as [[Koch's postulates]]:
*The microbe must always be present in animals showing the disease, and never in healthy animals.
*It must be possible to isolate the microbe and grow it in pure culture.
*Inoculating a healthy animal with the cultured microbe must cause the animal to develop the disease.
*It must be to isolate the microbe from the infected animal, culture it, and show that it is the same kind microbe with which it had been inoculated.