Microbiology Essays

1. How did the theory of biogenesis lead the way for the germ theory of disease?

The theory of biogenesis, which states that living cells come only from preexisting living cells, was first introduced in 1858 by Rudolf Virchow (Case, Funke & Tortora, 2013). While cell theory paved the way for a better understanding of microbiology, until Virchow’s claim was made it was generally believed that life was capable of spontaneous generation. Spontaneous generation was finally disproved in 1861 when Louis Pasteur created an experiment that showed techniques to prevent contamination by unwanted organisms. In this way, Pasteur formed the basis of aseptic technique, and this lead the way for germ theory of disease to develop.

Rudolf Virchow made his claim of biogenesis in the beginning of what is known as the Golden Age of Microbiology. This marked a pivotal point in the study of microbiology, as well as germ theory of disease. Before the theory of biogenesis was proposed, spontaneous generation was accepted to be true. While Virchow initially planted the seed of the idea of biogenesis, he did not preform any experiments to back up the claim. It wasn’t until 3 years later that Louis Pasteur solidified biogenesis as a valid theory, thanks to his experiments. Pasteur’s experiment disproved the theory of spontaneous generation and simultaneously formed the basis of aseptic technique. The experiment was relatively simple: Beef broth was placed in a long-necked flask. The neck was heated and bent into an S-shaped curve, and the broth was boiled. Once the solution was cooled, there were no unwanted microorganisms found (Case, Funke & Tortora, 2013). This experiment also disproved John Needham’s claim that microorganisms could spontaneously arise from heated nutrient broth. This experiment, and specifically the application of aseptic technique, was a huge milestone for not only microbiology, but also medicine, and the germ theory of disease.

Germ theory of disease is...