Robert Koch
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Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch was a German physician and microbiologist. He won the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his investigations and discoveries in relation to tuberculosis".
Koch in c. 1900
The Anthrax Disease Cycle. Anthrax particles live in a vegetative state until exposed to oxygen, where they form many infectious spores. They can live in the soil and be consumed by herbivores. Large herbivores, like cows, are most susceptible to anthrax disease, and humans are affected by animal waste, fecal matter, or corpses, from these herbivores. Anthrax infection is spread to humans when spores gain entry into the body, whether that is from inhalation, open wounds, or another method of entrance. Once inside, the spores are activated, allowing the bacteria to multiply and spread their toxins. Another spread of infection is through biting flies, like mosquitoes, that come in contact with the blood and feces of herbivores, preceded by contact with human flesh (information from Bergman
Koch's drawing of tuberculosis bacilli in 1882 (from Die Ätiologie der Tuberkulose)
Photograph of Koch (third from the right) and other members of the German Cholera Commission in Egypt, 1884
Germ theory of disease
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The germ theory of disease is the currently accepted scientific theory explaining the cause of infectious diseases. It states that microorganisms known as pathogens or "germs" can cause disease. These
Robert Koch
…birth of modern bacteriology. Koch used his discoveries to establish that germs "could cause a specific disease" and directly provided proofs for the germ theory of diseases, therefore creating the scientific basis of public health, saving millions of lives. For his life's work, Koch is seen as one of the founders of modern…
Scanning electron microscope image of Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera
A representation by Robert Seymour of the cholera epidemic depicts the spread of the disease in the form of poisonous air.
Louis Pasteur's spontaneous generation experiment illustrates that liquid nutrients are spoiled by particles in the air rather than the air itself. These results of these experiments supported the germ theory of disease.