Lecture 2 - Pre-Germ Theory

Robert Hooke

A scientist known for visualizing microorganisms, refuted fire being a fundamental element instead is a chemical reaction. One of the first to realize fossils developed from previously living organisms. Hooke was an architect and a surveyor, helped rebuild London after the Great Fire of 1666. Realized that the Moon has gravity. Had beef with Newton.

Boyle's Law

Describes the relationship between pressure and volumes of gases, enabled by Robert Hooke

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

A Dutch scientist inspired by Robert Hooke, known for observing microscopic bodies (animalcules)

Epidemic

An outbreak of disease that rapidly spreads through a community

Pandemic

An outbreak that spreads to other countries and continents

Contagion

The idea that diseases can be transmitted person to person

Syphilis

A disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Infection by 57 bacterial cells gives 50% chance of acquiring syphilis.

Fomites

Objects like clothes or linen that can foster the essential seeds of contagion and cause infection

Quarantines

Isolation for 40 days imposed by Contagionists to prevent the spread of diseases

Lazarettos

Areas where people or ships could stay in isolation during quarantines

Law of Elasticity

Discovered by Robert Hooke, enabling the creation of portable watches

Ignaz Semmelweis

Hungarian Obstetrician (OB) who advocated for handwashing in chlorinated lime as a means for public health

Spontaneous Generation

The theory that live organisms can originate from inanimate material, refuted by Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur

A scientist who refuted spontaneous generation and emphasized the importance of germs in the world

Robert Koch

A scientist known for Koch's postulates in microbiology