The discovery of germs has been a long process in history and still ongoing today. John Waller, author of The Discovery of the Germ: Twenty Years That Transformed the Way We Think about Disease, has stated as his thesis in this book, “…between 1880 and 1900…medicine underwent perhaps its greatest ever transformation. In just 20 years, the central role of germs in producing illness was for the first time decisively demonstrated and Western doctors abandoned misconceived ideas about the causes and nature of disease that had persisted, in one form or another, for thousands of years (Waller 1).
” The germ theory replaced the medical society’s beliefs that relied on the humoral theory for thousands of years. The question that has risen is whether or not there is a problem with monocausal explanations of disease. Waller’s thesis begins with the idea of a 20 year transformation of medicine. This is true because medicine did a complete 180 in its beliefs, practices, and studies. The germ theory wasn’t only a transformation of medicine, but a revolution of medical practice as we know it today.
Waller then explains that the central role of germs lies within the cause of illnesses, in which he is talking about the germ theory so this, will lead to the idea that germs equal disease. The final portion of his thesis is the most intriguing when he states that, “…Western doctors abandoned misconceived ideas about the causes and nature of disease…” For thousands of years, cause of disease was backed by the humoral theory and the focus was on the patient (his/her culture, society, etc.).
Waller’s thesis explains that even today, these ideas have been abandoned, but history of medicine proves that monocausal explanations of disease are problematic in treatment of disease. The humoral theory was first proposed by Hippocrates in some part of his life span between 460 and 370 B. C. This theory stated the idea that there were four humors that were the causes of sickness. These were black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm.
The basic idea was that if one of the humors was out of balance, it was the physician’s duty to figure out which one it was and in turn, the patient would have to undergo medical treatments to restore the balance in this humor or humors. Thousands of years later, the germ theory was introduced to the world. It took many years before society would accept the germ theory because the humoral theory was all they had ever known. Once germ theory was accepted in medical and public societies, it became the sole influence of medicine with new discoveries and cures for diseases.
Although the germ theory has proven to be revolutionary for the medical world, society, for a while (and maybe still some now), turned towards only the germ theory for cures and causes of disease and disregards the humoral theory (or culture, nature, and social aspects) or disease. There are problems with this monocausal explanation of disease because when we focus too much on one aspect of the causes of disease, we forget that there could possibly be some other factors that affect why we get sick in the first place.
For example, we know a germ causes the flu or even the common cold, however there has to be some reason from society that these germs infect our bodies. Many common reasons that our bodies contract these diseases is from not washing our hands before eating or after using the bath room or not covering our mouths when we cough. These are causes of disease, alongside germs, that are because of personal habit, culture, society, etc. Medical epidemics have proven this theory against monocausal explanations of disease beginning with the Spanish Influenza pandemic outbreak in 1918.
Society was highly influenced by medical advice to wear face masks that were provided by the government. Even though less and less people were becoming infected, it also had a lot to do with more people receiving the vaccine for Spanish Influenza. Hookworm is another chronic disease that affected people, mostly in Southern United States. This epidemic swept the southern states as the germ theory continued to progress and culture of the organism became the focus rather than the culture of the germ.
This disease was found to thrive in warm climates and sandy soil and often enters the body by the soft tissue between the toes (this is relevant because part of the culture of southern people is running around barefoot). In March 1902, Pellagra first appeared, once again particularly in the Southern States, and rapidly became widespread. By 1907, it had been labeled as an epidemic. With Pellagra, doctors first focused on social causes, looking into spoiled corn to be the reason, southern climates, or new diseases brought to the states by slaves and immigrants.
Once the doctors realized that even with removing these conditions from a Pellagra patient’s life and he/she wasn’t getting any better, they declined the social causes and began to look for a germ. In the end, Pellagra was another disease that had everything to do with the culture and the patient, not the germ theory. Patterns like this continue to exist in society with diseases. Yes, germs are the cause of disease but no, germs are not the ONLY cause of disease.
If we get a cold because we didn’t wash our hands after touching a public door knob and then rub our mouth, it all could have been prevented if we had been more careful as to not touch out mouth or nose without washing our hands. This is a simpler example of how our society can contract and cause its own illnesses and diseases, but it’s an easy explanation to sum up the cause and effect scheme that works together with the germ theory, the patient, and culture.
Waller was right when he wrote that the germ theory was a transformation for medicine, but his statement about misconceived ideas of the causes of disease (referring to the humoral theory and focus of the patient) is invalid and medical history has proven that in many cases. There cannot be a monocausal explanation of disease because germ, culture, and the patient work together when causing or preventing disease. Outline I. Introduction a. Introduce Waller’s book i. Title ii. Thesis b.
Introduce main idea of paper iii. Critical assessment of Waller’s thesis iv. Why monocausal explanations of disease are a problem II. Dissection of Waller’s thesis c. 20 year transformation d. Revolution of medicine e. Germs equal disease f. Bye bye humoral theory III. Humoral theory and Germ theory g. Humoral Theory v. What is it vi. What had people so convinced to follow it h. Germ Theory vii. What is it viii.
What finally convinced people of germs IV. Problems with monocausal explanations of disease i. What are the problems j. Proof of the problems ix. Spanish Influenza x. Hookworm xi. Pellagra V. Conclusion k. Wrap up all thoughts l. Thesis of paper: There cannot be a monocausal explanation of disease because germ, culture, and the patient work together when causing or preventing disease.
Bibliography Waller, John. The Discovery of the Germ: Twenty Years that Transformed the Way We Think about Disease. Chichester, West Sussex, New York: ColumbiaUniversity Press, 2002. Print.