Imagine a world without medicine. Those who fell ill were given days to live until the disease completely took over their bodies. Their organs began to fail, eventually killing the person suffering from this disease. This was the world before 1860. People were not aware of germs. A germ is defined by Webster as an organism that causes disease. The effects of germs on the lives of all people resulted in widespread epidemics of cholera, black plague, and smallpox. The discovery of germs led to what is now called the most spectacular medical advance of the 19th century. Louis Pasteur is credited with discovering the germ theory. It is through his many experiments that germ theory became the groundbreaking phenomenon that it is. Germ theory is an important part of European history because some diseases were found to be caused by microorganisms invading the body and have since contributed to the creation of vaccinations and antibiotics. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before the discovery of germ theory, apothecaries, herbalism, and lore dominated the medical field. In the Middle Ages many thought that by opening the vein the disease would find a way to escape. Bloodletting was used to treat a wide range of diseases and was practiced for defensive and therapeutic purposes. It has become a standard treatment for almost all diseases. People began cutting themselves with pieces of lead, resulting in lead poisoning that killed the person faster than the disease itself. Apothecaries often created elaborate potions and sold them for very high prices. This led to people failing because they were trying to cure themselves. The desire for better medical treatments has been around for a long time; however, because all the tricks that people believed led them to further harm. Dealing with disease before germ theory only turned out to be a bigger and worse problem. These treatments were often unsanitary and led to worsening of the disease. Unsanitary conditions in medical centers led to the appearance of gangrene. Gangrene began to prevail in hospitals, claiming the lives and limbs of many European citizens. A broader look at medicine before 1860 can be described as chaotic and pointless. The medical field needed to understand what caused disease before it could begin to tackle the task of treating it. Until the mid-19th century, life expectancy worldwide was twenty years. Fever was by far the leading cause of infant death, killing many more victims than war and famine. There were many types of fever, but doctors could hardly provide accurate descriptions and correct diagnosis until the advent of sanitation facilities in Parisian hospitals during the time of the French Revolution. A common discussion among all doctors was whether the disease was intrinsic or extrinsic. Many doctors, including Antoine Lavoisier, came to the conclusion that the disease was in fact intrinsic. John Snow, however, did not realize that the fever was contagious. Increased curiosity about medicine led to Louis Pasteur's formal experiments which led to the discovery of germ theory. Louis Pasteur was born into a humble French Catholic home. He was described as an average student, who loved fishing. After a bumpy road to earning his master's degree in science, Pastur became a professor and chemist. However, his occupation quickly changed. In 1848 he was assigned the chair of chemistry at the University of Strasbourg. Although this was the beginning of thePasteur's work, it is classified by historians and scientists as "one of the most renowned works in scientific history". After finishing his research on particles called tartrates, Pasteur decided to expand his research and began studying fermentation. He wrote about alcoholic fermentation and discovered that fermentation is simply the decomposition of yeast particles. The discovery of the contamination of drinks led Pasteur to the idea that microorganisms that infect animals and humans cause disease. From this discovery he proposed the idea that microorganisms can enter the body causing harmful infections. It was thanks to this discovery that Joseph Lister was able to create antiseptics and perform clean and hygienic surgeries. Pasteur has a lasting legacy thanks to his notable discoveries in medicine, vaccination, and fermentation. The idea of ​​germ theory came about through formal experiments by Louis Pasteur. Pasteur began his experiments on milk and alcoholic beverages. The main idea of ​​germ theory was to test and see at what temperature microorganisms are alive and become harmful to the human body. After his fermentation experiments, Pasteur demonstrated that grape skin is a natural source of yeast and that sterilized grapes never ferment. He took grape juice from under the skin of a grape with a sterilized needle and covered the grape with a sterilized cloth. Both experiments failed to produce wine in sterilized containers. These ideas contradicted previously accepted ideas of spontaneous generation. This is the supposed production of living organisms from non-living matter, as inferred from the apparent appearance of life in some apparently sterile environments. Pasteur performed numerous experiments that disproved spontaneous generation. By disproving spontaneous generation, Louis Pasteur showed scientists that his germ theory was worth believing. Robert Koch began studying Bacillus Anthracis, more commonly known as anthrax. This disease originated in the areas of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. First, Koch chose to study the effect of the anthrax disease on farm animals. Koch collected anthrax bacteria from farm animals that had died of the disease and used them to infect healthy mice. He also conducted an experiment, using the same method but replacing the anthrax with blood from healthy cows. Mice infected with the disease developed anthrax and died, but mice that were not infected with the bacterium remained healthy. Koch had solid evidence that anthrax bacteria caused the disease. He then began producing pure samples of anthrax bacteria, demonstrating that the bacterium itself was strong enough to cause disease on its own. The results of this Koch experiment proved consequential for previous ideas about microbiology. Although Koch helped Pasteur in many ways, he was also able to find even more specific bacteria in his experiments. Through the creation of Koch's Postulates, he was able to find the bacterium that causes tuberculosis and took the lives of many in the 19th century. The effects of germ theory were both short-term and long-term. The short-term effects were large and very immediate. The anthrax germ often dominated livestock herds, and the cholera disease affected city water wells. The realization that bacteria caused disease helped lead to the first forms of vaccinations. In 1881 Pasteur had created the first vaccination against anthrax. The key to Pasteur's vaccine was potassium dichromate. This ingredient in the vaccine would have demonstrated a higher national health rate and initiated a decrease in cholera epidemics.