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When Jenner introduced vaccination he knew nothing of the infectious agents that cause disease: it was not until late in the 19th century that Robert Kock proved that infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms, each one responsible for a particular disease, or pathology.  We now recognize four broad categories of disease-causing [[microorganism]]s, or [[pathogen]]s: these are [[virus]]es; [[bacteria]]; pathogenic [[fungi]]; and other relatively large and complex eukaryotic organisms collectively termed [[parasite]]s.

When Jenner introduced vaccination he knew nothing of the infectious agents that cause disease: it was not until late in the 19th century that Robert Kock proved that infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms, each one responsible for a particular disease, or pathology.  We now recognize four broad categories of disease-causing [[microorganism]]s, or [[pathogen]]s: these are [[virus]]es; [[bacteria]]; pathogenic [[fungi]]; and other relatively large and complex eukaryotic organisms collectively termed [[parasite]]s.

The discoveries of Koch and other great 19th century microbiologists stimulated the extension of Jenner's strategy of vaccination to other diseases.  In the 1880's, [[Louis Pasteur]] devised a vaccine against cholera in chickens, and developed a rabies vaccine that proved a success upon its first trial use in a boy bitten by a rabid dog.  These practical triumphs led to a search for the mechanism of protection and to the development of the science of immunology.  In 1890, Emil von Behring and Shibasaburo Kitasato discovered that the serum of vaccinated individuals contained substances, which they called antibodies, that specifically bound to the relevant pathogen.

The discoveries of Koch and other great 19th century microbiologists stimulated the extension of Jenner's strategy of vaccination to other diseases.  In the 1880's, [[Louis Pasteur]] devised a vaccine against cholera in chickens, and developed a rabies vaccine that proved a success upon its first trial use in a boy bitten by a rabid dog.  These practical triumphs led to a search for the mechanism of protection and to the development of the science of immunology.  In 1890, Emil von Behring and Shibasaburo Kitasato discovered that the serum of vaccinated individuals contained substances, which they called [[antibodies]], that specifically bound to the relevant pathogen.

==See Also==

==See Also==