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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Imagine a world where there was a great chance of a mother dying right after giving birth to her child. Sounds like a pretty crazy supposition. Unfortunately, not too long ago, that was the world we called home. Nuland’s book discusses the unfortunate tragedies of puerperal fever and the journey the medical field in Europe took to discover a cause and prevention. Hand in hand, Nuland also depicts the life of Ignác Semmelweis, the unknown founder of the aforementioned cause and prevention strategies: washing hands in chloride of lime. The Doctors’ Plague is a worthwhile read based off the information provided, its ability to break new ground, and the credibility of its author and sources.
Christopher Hamlin, “Edwin Chadwick, ‘Mutton Medicine’, and the Fever Question,” Bulletin of the History of Medicine 70 (1996): 233-265.
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)
Charles Rosenberg’s article Cholera in the nineteenth-century Europe: A tool for social and economic analysis evaluates the impact of epidemics on society and the changes that ensue as a result. It is Rosenberg’s view that most economic historians overlook the overall importance of epidemics by focusing primarily on economic growth. Rosenberg’s article aims to bring a more human approach to the Cholera epidemic while showing its potential to affect every aspect of society (453). Rosenberg believes epidemics are an event that show the social values and attitudes towards science, religion and innovation at that particular moment in time (452). His thesis for the article begs the question, what was needed at that time for the culmination of all
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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
Throughout medicine, there have been heroes, villains, and people in between. Which category they are put in depends on the beholder. However, whether the person in question is seen as a good or bad person, they still could have contributed to medicine’s history. This is the case with Karl Brandt, a physician who worked under Hitler during World War II. While he may have practiced medicine in an unconventional way, he was a major figure who made an impact.
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and disease (Haas 258). As he developed and honed his craft, all the scholarly encounters with
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Semmelweiss (1818-1865) mode of reasoning attempts to put the theory underpinning epidemiology, he set out to test a hypothesis on