Why Millions Died: Before the War on Infectious Diseases

by George H. Scherr

Overview

Why Millions Died reviews the painfully slow development of research by isolated investigators who believed that diseases could be caused by infectious organisms. The brutally contentious and vivid arguments that raged between the proponents of the germ theory of disease and those who condemned it from both the scientific community and the pulpits delayed the implementation of vaccines and antimicrobial agents. Such delays resulted in millions of deaths until the professional communities and the general public began to believe that certain health measures could protect against infection and reduce the enormous death tolls from disease. Preeminent among these workers was an Italian scientist, Agostino Bassi, who articulated the germ theory of disease following twenty years of research. Approximately thirty years later, Pasteur repeated Bassi's research in order to gain prestige as the savior of the germ theory of disease. Pasteur was also discovered to have committed fraud in claiming he had developed a vaccine for anthrax - only to be exposed by the brilliant German microbiologist, Robert Koch.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761855569
Publisher:	University Press of America
Publication date:	11/25/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	158
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

George H. Scherr, Ph.D., has been engaged in infectious disease research for sixty-nine years. He was a tenured professor of microbiology at the University of Illinois School of Medicine.

Table of Contents

Part 1 List of Figures
Part 2 List of Tables
Part 3 Preface
Part 4 Acknowledgments
Part 5 Introduction
Chapter 6 Chapter 1 - HISTORICAL
Chapter 7 Chapter 2 - FRANCESCO REDI
Chapter 8 Chapter 3 - LAZZARO SPALLANZANI
Chapter 9 Chapter 4 - EDWARD JENNER AND THE CONCEPT OF VACCINATION
Chapter 10 Chapter 5 - THE RENAISSANCE OF ITALIAN RESEARCH
Chapter 11 Chapter 6 - AGOSTINO BASSI
Chapter 12 Chapter 7 - ROBERT KOCH
Chapter 13 Chapter 8 - ELIE METCHNIKOFF
Chapter 14 Chapter 9 - LOUIS PASTEUR
Chapter 15 Chapter 10 - CHARLES CHAMBERLAND
Chapter 16 Chapter 11 - AGOSTINO BASSI-CODA
Part 17 Bibliography
Part 18 About The Author

Editorial Reviews

Why Millions Died is a brilliant account and exposé of early advances - and fraudulent claims by at least one world-renowned scientist - leading to the discovery that microbes were a primary cause of disease. This carefully researched book is written in such a non-pedantic style that it draws in both professional microbiologists and literate non-specialists.

Dale W. Jacobs

An excellent addition to public and college library medical history shelves, and especially crucial in the wake of modern-day anti-vaccination movements with no peer-reviewed scientific backing to support them. Highly recommended.

Midwest Book Review