What Does Miasma Theory Suggest?
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Miasmas are toxic sources of decaying dead bodies of animals, moths, rotten vegetation, and dust particles present inside these sources or dwellings. These miasma toxins were believed to be the cause of many diseases in the past affecting the body. This theory was given in the late fourth or fifth century. However, many other theories also co-existed along with the miasma theory about the etiology and causes of the disease spread up to the nineteenth century.
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Miasma theory was the first to explain the diseases like malaria and tuberculosis and suggested causes for the spread of the cholera epidemic back in the day. The theory also created a base for germ theory which was also getting popular and effective at that time. Many pieces of evidence were presented to show the cause of cholera mortality, suggesting that contaminated drinking water was the leading cause of the disease.
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This theory associated with malaria was later proved wrong, and prevention measures were taken by cleaning the mosquito breeding sites and draining swamps. Scientists later abandoned the miasma theory and replaced it with the germ cell theory.
What Were the Views of the World on Miasma Theory?
The views of the world on miasma theory are as follows:
China- In China, miasma theory was used in various ancient Chinese chronicles and was considered a basis for every disease. It was thought to be a poisonous or foul gas that spread disease and was mainly related to the environmental heat, dust, dead air, and moisture of the southern part of China. Therefore, miasma was associated with many diseases, such as malaria, heat stroke, influenza, and cold. Often, every disease was called a miasma because they never understood the actual cause of any disease. For example, many doctors in China believed that miasma and typhoid fever were the same diseases and discussed them in the same chapters in their books.
However, after the 19th century, with the advancement in medical science in China, people became aware of different diseases and how to distinguish between them. This led to the fading of miasma theory in China with the introduction of medical science.
Europe- In Europe, around the fourth and fifth centuries, people believed that the environment was responsible for diseases. The quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink, our surroundings, hot or cold winds, sunrise and sunset, seasons of the year, and the food we eat contribute while investigating medical science.
In the 1850s, the spread of cholera in London and Paris was explained with the help of miasma theory, and prevention was done by cleaning the surroundings and the body. However, in 1851, cholera was thought to be spread through poor air quality. Therefore, the miasma theory was partially accepted as the disease was found to spread near the contaminated Thames river, which also lacked good air quality. Later, it was discovered that the disease outbreak was due to contaminated water, but the partially accepted miasma theory became popular during the outbreak and overshadowed this concept.
India- The miasma theory was also popular in India. They were the first to put this concept into clinical practice by introducing paan (gambir tree) as an anti-miasmatic paste that could prevent miasmatic diseases. However, the tree was found only in Sri Lanka and India.
Southern China- There was a fear of poisonous gasses and air in the environment, causing diseases, and the geological environment impacted the population in Southern China. They also believed that females were not much affected by the miasma infection compared to men, who were at risk of high mortality. This environmental threat also led to a lack of immigration and the development of damps in southern China.
Why Did the Germ Theory Replace the Miasma Theory?
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Miasma theory suggested that infectious diseases were spread through the miasma, which was believed to be the foul smell of gasses and polluted soil. This theory was later replaced by germ cell theory which discovered that diseases are spread through the specific germ, not the miasma.
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John Snow proposed the germ cell theory in 1854. Still, germ theory did not gain much popularity due to the influence and popularity of the miasma theory during a cholera outbreak. In 1857, John Snow presented a paper on the increase in cholera cases due to contaminated water sources. The committee rejected the paper because they did not find the pieces of evidence significant enough.
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Louis Pasteur also researched disease and germ theory and discovered the pathology of puerperal fever.
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After the death of John Snow in 1866, another researcher William Farr said that the miasma theory for cholera outbreaks was incorrect by giving his statistical analysis on high death rates.
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In 1877, Robert Koch worked on anthrax and discovered that Bacillus anthracis was the cause of all the fatal diseases; and also presented the structure and picture of the bacteria. Koch also proposed that the spores of the bacteria remain dormant in the host body and get activated under certain conditions, and cause fatal diseases. He supported his research with a microscopic view of dry-fixed bacterial culture on a glass slide. Thus he became the first scientist to show links between specific diseases caused by a particular kind of bacteria.
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This led to the replacement of the miasma theory and the acceptance of the germ theory of disease.
Conclusion
The miasma theory stated that only miasma or contaminated air was the leading cause of every disease and was also popular during a cholera outbreak. But over time, the theory lost its plot as germ theory gained popularity with specific evidence. The germ theory was more convincing as it explained the cause and spread of infectious diseases in the human body. It also suggested that contaminated water, food, and air can transfer bacteria into the body and cause disease. Therefore, germ theory was widely accepted by the end of the 19th century, and the miasma theory was rejected.
