The Impact of Pasteur & Koch (AQA GCSE History)

How accepted was Germ Theory in Britain? - Timeline & Summary

Timeline

When Germ Theory was first introduced by Louis Pasteur in the 1860s, it faced significant opposition in Britain. Many scientists, like Dr Henry Bastian, continued to believe in the idea of Spontaneous Generation. At the same time, much of the public still believed that miasma caused disease. Public and scientific opposition made it difficult for people to accept Germ Theory immediately. This hesitation slowed the progress of public health reforms and the development of new treatments.

However, Germ Theory gained increasing support over time, especially from figures like John Tyndall and Joseph Lister. Tyndall, a physicist, gave lectures explaining the scientific basis of Germ Theory. Joseph Lister applied Germ Theory to surgery by introducing antiseptics to kill germs during operations. By the 1880s, more evidence that matched Germ Theory led to its widespread acceptance among the medical community and the public. The shift in thinking marked a turning point in medicine.

Opposition to Pasteur & Koch in Britain

• Spontaneous Generation remained a popular theory in Britain until the 1870s

  • Many doctors like Dr Henry Bastian supported Spontaneous Generation rather than Germ Theory

    • Bastian wrote articles and books against Germ Theory, spreading this opinion among other medical professionals

  • Doctors were trusted members of society which meant the public also refused to link germs to disease

    • The public was more comfortable believing in miasma as the cause of disease

Support for Pasteur & Koch in Britain

• There were four key supporters of Germ Theory in Britain:

  • John Tyndall

  • Joseph Lister

  • William Roberts

  • William Cheyne

John Tyndall

• Tyndall linked the discovery of particles in the air to Germ Theory

  • Tyndall was a physicist, not a doctor

    • This meant many medical professionals ignored his suggestions

Joseph Lister

• Lister linked Germ Theory to the issue of infection after surgery

  • Lister could not prove his theory as some microbes are good for example those in the gut

William Roberts

• Roberts was a Welsh physician

• During his research into renal disease, he also disproved Spontaneous Generation

  • He studied bacteria in mould, proving Germ Theory correct

• Roberts supported Lister's carbolic spray

William Cheyne

• Cheyne was a Scottish doctor

  • He collaborated with Lister

• Cheyne translated Robert Koch's work into English

  • This promoted Koch's work in Britain

• During his own experiments, he proved that not all bacteria in wounds caused infection

Factors influencing the impact of Germ Theory in Britain

What is a magic bullet?

• A 'magic bullet' was an early 20th-century concept

  • The idea was that one chemical treatment could attack harmful bacteria without hurting the rest of the body

• Discovering magic bullets became a practical application of Pasteur's and Koch's work into germs and disease

Paul Ehrlich & Salvarsan 606

Who was Paul Ehrlich?

• Ehrlich was a German scientist

  • He was a student of Robert Koch

• In the early 20th century, Ehrlich was attempting to find a cure for syphilis

  • When Britain fought the Boer War (1880-1902), it became clear that many young men had syphilis

    • The army could not conscript enough healthy men

  • Medical professionals were still prescribing the mercury treatments of the 16th century

The discovery of Salvarsan 606

• Paul Ehrlich tested arsenic compounds to find a cure for syphilis

  • By 1907, Ehrlich had tested more than 600 versions of arsenic but had not found a cure

• In 1909, Japanese scientist Hata retested the arsenic compounds Ehrlich had experimented with

  • He discovered that compound 606 cured syphilis

  • He named the chemical cure Salvarsan 606

The significance of Paul Ehrlich

• Salvarsan 606 became the world's first 'magic bullet'

• Ehrlich's work encouraged other scientists to find 'magic bullets'

  • An example of this is Prontosil

• Salvarsan 606 was the first step towards the creation of antibiotics