Robert Koch was a physician and a scientist. According to Blevins and Bronze (2010), his work “launched the new field of medical bacteriology,” and “ushered in a ‘golden age’ of scientific discovery and a new era of public health” (p. E744). Brock (1999) claimed Robert Koch was “one of the most important figures in medical science and was also the founder of bacteriology” (p. xxi). How did one man accomplish so much and impact the world around him in such a profound way? The three areas that must be examined in order to unveil the magnitude of influence that he possessed are as follows:
• The Life of Robert Koch
• Microscopes, Research, and Revolutionary Discoveries
• Beyond one man
These topics will dive into the history surrounding Robert Koch and show how incredible his impact was not only in his time, but continuing to this day.
The Life of Robert Koch
Robert Koch was born on December 11, 1843, in Clausthal, Germany. He was one of thirteen children, although two of them died in infancy. His father was a mining engineer and his mother had her hands full at home with all of the children. Robert’s Uncle Eduard Biewend, was very educated, devoted to studying nature, and interested in photography. He took Robert on excursions as a child and got him interested in the natural sciences. Robert attended the University at Göttinberg, where at first he was going to study to be a teacher, but after the first semester changed to study medicine. In 1866, at the age of 23, he received his medical degree and passed the state exam to practice medicine. At first he wanted to travel as a ship’s doctor, but he got engaged to Emmy Fraatz, as so he stayed to take a position as a medical assistant at the Hamburg General Hospital. The p...
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Arthur L. Caplan, in his news article, “Distinguishing Science from Nonsense,” warns the audience about the uncertain economic future of the United States of America due to the abandonment of science within society. Further, Caplan’s purpose is to inform the audience how the dwindling importance of science in children is not only due to schools, but also due to American culture. Therefore, Caplan uses a combination of rhetorical devices to not only warn and inform the public about the importance of science, but to also engage them to an extent that persuades the audience to take action.
The life expectancy in Europe and America averaged about 30 to 40 years in 1800 A.D. However, through medical breakthroughs this expectancy has increased double -75 years- in the last two hundred years. One important reason of this increase is the discovering of what causes diseases. The development of medical science in different ways has yielded so many advances in recognizing the pathogenic factors of diseases and how to fight with them. This progress has resulted significant alteration in the factors of premature death due to diseases (Medical Health tests
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A remarkable breakthrough in medicine occurred in the late 1800s through the work of Louis Pasteur. Pasteur's experiments showed that bacteria reproduce like other living things and travel from place to place. Using the results of his findings, he developed pasteurization, which is the process of heating liquids to kill bacteria and prevent fermentation. He also produced an anthrax vaccine as well as a way to weaken the rabies virus. After studying Pasteur's work, Joseph Lister developed antisepsis, which is the process of killing disease-causing germs. In 1865 before an operation, he cleansed a leg wound first with carbolic acid, and performed the surgery with sterilized (by heat) instruments. The wound healed, and the patient survived. Prior to surgery, the patient would've needed an amputation. However, by incorporating these antiseptic procedures in all of his surgeries, he decreased postoperative deaths. The use of antiseptics eventually helped reduce bacterial infection not only in surgery but also in childbirth and in the treatment of battle wounds. Another man that made discoveries that reinforced those of Pasteur's was Robert Koch. Robert Koch isolated the germ that causes tuberculosis, identified the germ responsible for Asiatic cholera, and developed sanitary measures to prevent disease. (1)
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In an effort to analyze the natural history of a disease, an epidemiological triangle is used. An epidemiological triangle is comprised of a susceptible host or individual, environment, and a causative agent. The host tends to have low immunity, poor nutrition, and a concurrent disease. The host tends to have poor
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of just how many people were affected by various diseases of the time, as stated by John
German microbiologist and physician Dr. Robert Koch (1843-1910) successfully isolated Bacillus anthracis in 1875 by growing the organism in a pure culture and identifying the bacteria’s ability to form endospores, a resistant type of spore that develops in some bacteria cells. Furthermore, Koch produced experimental anthrax by injecting the disease into animals. From his research and experimentation, Koch was able to discern the life cycle of anthrax and develop the Koch postulates, which identified the causative relationship between microorganisms and diseases. The proof outlined in his discoveries in the late 1800s allowed for later scientists to develop a comprehensive Germ Theory, a notion which states that certain microorganisms present in the body can in fact cause diseases. Long before the formal discovery of the disease, anthrax had originated in 1250 BC, where it is thought to have developed in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece. As the disease was in all likelihood much more dangerous in olden times due to the lack of an ability to control the spread of the bacteria, some theories suggest that anthrax contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. It was only in the 1752 and 1769 that the first clinical observations of cutaneous...