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Line 4: − + + + + − The idea of bacteria and viruses causing disease eventually became a corner of modern medicine.
The idea that infection could be spread by invisible substances was oppsed vigorously by doctors in Vienna when proposed by Ignaz Semmelweis.
He showed that the theory of [[spontaneous generation]] was false, by placing one piece of meat under a glass jar and another in an open dish. He observed flies landing on the exposed meat, but of course flies could not penetrate the glass jar. Flies did not come out of nothing, but from eggs deposited by flies which he could easily see landing on the exposed meat.
He showed that the theory of [[spontaneous generation]] was false, by placing one piece of meat under a glass jar and another in an open dish. He observed flies landing on the exposed meat, but of course flies could not penetrate the glass jar. Flies did not come out of nothing, but from eggs deposited by flies which he could easily see landing on the exposed meat.
The idea that infection could be spread by invisible substances was extremely controversial when first proposed, but
The theory that bacteria (and later, viruses) cause disease eventually became a corner of modern medicine, but first it faced an uphill battle.
The idea that infection could be spread by invisible substances was oppsed vigorously by doctors in Vienna when proposed by [[Ignaz Semmelweis]]. He reduced the incidence of mothers dying after childbirth from infection from 20% to near-zero, but other doctors resisted his efforts and got him fired.
Only after the germ theory was championed by Pasteur (see [[pasteurization]]) and Lister (namesake of [[Listerine]] mouthwash) did [[antiseptic medicine]] become popular.
Prior to germ theory, it was widely believed that disease was spread by smell.{{cn}} As disease-spreading conditions - rotting meat, open sewage, and such things - was often highly odorous, the smell and disease were associated. Disease was also often attributed to demonic influence - although demonic posession must exist as it it mentioned in Scripture<ref>Mark 5:1-13</ref>, it is a rare occurance, and almost all disease attributed to it was a result of other causes.
Prior to germ theory, it was widely believed that disease was spread by smell.{{cn}} As disease-spreading conditions - rotting meat, open sewage, and such things - was often highly odorous, the smell and disease were associated. Disease was also often attributed to demonic influence - although demonic posession must exist as it it mentioned in Scripture<ref>Mark 5:1-13</ref>, it is a rare occurance, and almost all disease attributed to it was a result of other causes.