Alois Kolar, B.HSc.
French chemist Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822, in Dole, located in the Jura region of France. He grew up in the town of Arbois, and his father, Jean-Joseph Pasteur, was a tanner and a sergeant major decorated with the Legion of Honor during the Napoleonic Wars. An average student, Pasteur was skilled at drawing and painting. He earned his bachelor of arts degree (1840) and bachelor of science degree (1842) at the Royal College of Besançon and a doctorate (1847) from the École Normale in Paris.
The germ theory says that disease is due solely to invasion by specific aggressive microscopic organisms, what means that specific germ is responsible for each disease. All these microscopic microorganisms are capable of reproduction and transportation outside of an organism. It was founded on the assumption that germs are specific and unchangeable in their structure and chemical characteristics.
Eminent modern bacteriologist and Pulitzer Prize Winner in 1968, Dr. Rene Dubos contradicted to this assumption by showing that virulence of microbial species is variable.
Louis Pasteur in 1880 admitted his mistake. Coworker of Pasteur Dr. Duclaux wrote Pasteur
Germs do not cause disease, already in 1914 M.D. Mr. E. C. Rosenow of the Mayo Biological Laboratories in Rochester, Minnesota - USA describes his demonstration that streptococci could be made to assume all the characteristics of pneumococci pneumonia germs, simply by feeding them on pneumonia virus and making other minor alterations in their environment, when the procedure was reversed, they quickly reverted back to pus germs.
No matter of the type of germs, in all cases they quickly mutated into other types always, when their environment and food were changed. All his experiments were reported in Journal of the Infectious Diseases 1914, Vol. 14, pages 1 to 32.
Two bacteriologists in New York made similar experiments, converted cocci into bacilli and vice versa…
From these experiments shows that specific bacteria do not produce specific disease symptoms. It is the environment and the type of soil which determines the type of bacteria that proliferate!
In 1762 a Viennese physician M. A. Plenciz published the first Germ Theory of Infectious Diseases. According to Dr. Leverson of England, in 1860 Pasteur took a credit for the experiments and ideas of others, plagiarizing and distorting their discoveries. He said that Pasteur became identified as originator of germ theory just because of his strong personality, and enthusiasm.
Claude Bernard and Pasteur had many debates on importance of the microbe and the
internal environment and Bernard disputed the validity of the germ theory maintained, that the general condition of the patient organism was the principal factor of disease, but his idea was largely ignored by the medical "profession".
Even Louis Pasteur was a chemist and knew very little about biology and life processes, he was a respected and influential man, also because of his father.
Two bacteriologists in New York made similar experiments, converted cocci into bacilli and vice versa…
From these experiments shows that specific bacteria do not produce specific disease symptoms. It is the environment and the type of soil which determines the type of bacteria that proliferate!
In 1762 a Viennese physician M. A. Plenciz published the first Germ Theory of Infectious Diseases. According to Dr. Leverson of England, in 1860 Pasteur took a credit for the experiments and ideas of others, plagiarizing and distorting their discoveries. He said that Pasteur became identified as originator of germ theory just because of his strong personality, and enthusiasm.
Claude Bernard and Pasteur had many debates on importance of the microbe and the
Even Louis Pasteur was a chemist and knew very little about biology and life processes, he was a respected and influential man, also because of his father.
His powerful influence on his contemporaries, his phobic fear of infection, in malignity and belligerence of germs had reaching consequences on the men of science.
Thus was born the long period of fear of germs, bacilli, bacteria, huge chemical-pharmaceutical-medical business which exist and grows even in this time. ;-)
Around 1880 Louis Pasteur discovered facts which were not in accord with his previous conception that disease germs were unchangeable. He finds out that microbial species can undergo many transformation, so this discovery destroyed the basis of germ theory. Since a coccus (pneumonia germ) could change to a bacillus (typhoid germ) and back again, in fact, any germ could turn into another and their virulence could be altered, the whole theory exploded. Well, since than Pasteur had changed his direction, his more reasonable conception of the cause of disease as given by Dr. Duclaux was, that a germ ordinarily kept within bounds by natural laws, but when condition change and when its host is enfeebled, the germ was able to invade the territory which was barred to it up to that time. In fact this is a premise that healthy body is resistant to disease or better to say, not susceptible to it.
Around 1880 Louis Pasteur discovered facts which were not in accord with his previous conception that disease germs were unchangeable. He finds out that microbial species can undergo many transformation, so this discovery destroyed the basis of germ theory. Since a coccus (pneumonia germ) could change to a bacillus (typhoid germ) and back again, in fact, any germ could turn into another and their virulence could be altered, the whole theory exploded. Well, since than Pasteur had changed his direction, his more reasonable conception of the cause of disease as given by Dr. Duclaux was, that a germ ordinarily kept within bounds by natural laws, but when condition change and when its host is enfeebled, the germ was able to invade the territory which was barred to it up to that time. In fact this is a premise that healthy body is resistant to disease or better to say, not susceptible to it.
“The presence of the certain germs is not a proof that they are the cause of a disease!”
Louis Pasteur did reverse his scientific position and acknowledge that germs are not the specific and primary cause of disease and he abandoned the germ theory. He is reported to have said on his deathbed: “Bernard was right. The seed is nothing, the soil is everything!”
Despite Louis Pasteur abandoned his early very immature and erroneous theory in 1880, it was accepted, developed fostered and perpetuated by others and this ultimate irony of medical science continue to this day as a huge business for chemical-pharmaceutical industry and medicine doctors.
Exactly in that time medicine claimed to be a science... ;-)
Exactly in that time medicine claimed to be a science... ;-)
