Germ Theory - Discovery, History and New Developments in Health

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Germ Theory - Discovery, History and New Developments in Health

Article Description:

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Healthcare workers and others use medical gloves to help prevent

the transmission of disease and infections. However, it was not

that long ago in the history of mankind that the idea of using

medical gloves to prevent the transmission of diseases was

unheard of. As you read this article, we will talk about the

discovery and history of germ theory, and the new theories

concerning germs, infections and our health.

Additional Article Information:

===============================

969 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2006-07-18 11:36:00

Written By: Davin Abernathy

Copyright: 2006

Contact Email: mailto:davin.abernathy@...

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Germ Theory - Discovery, History and New Developments in Health

Copyright © 2006 Davin Abernathy

Don The Glove

http://www.dontheglove.com

Healthcare workers and others use medical gloves to help prevent

the transmission of disease and infections. However, it was not

that long ago in the history of mankind that the idea of using

medical gloves to prevent the transmission of diseases was

unheard of.

The Advance of Medical Science

Science has advanced rapidly over the last 100 years and there

have been many amazing discoveries made, particularly in the area

of healthcare and health issues. Just 100 years ago, it was not

uncommon for the general public to believe that people became

afflicted with disease because they angered the gods, or because

of their sins. Some even believed illness was the result of

curses placed upon them by others. Even today, in some

third-world countries, illnesses are still believed to be the

result of sins and curses.

The years between 1879 and 1900 are frequently referred to as the

" germ revolution " . This is the point in history when medical

science began to advance to the point where doctors began to

discover the role of germs in illness and disease, and they began

to fully comprehend the modes of disease transmission.

When people could not see something, touch it, taste it, smell

it, etc. they assumed that it did not exist. Prior to the use of

microscopes, germs and microorganisms remained unknown to the

public and scientists. In fact, it was commonly believed by

scientists that diseases were spontaneously generated from

non-living things.

The discovery of the germ theory and of microorganisms has been

hailed as the most important discovery in medicine, and possibly

the most important discovery for mankind as a whole. Many

scientists are cited with discovering various parts of the germ

theory. Ignaz Semmelweis in the 1840's found that hand washing

helped to prevent the spread of childbirth fever and hand washing

slowly became a standard practice for healthcare workers prior to

examining patients, medical gloves had not yet been considered as

an alternative. By far though, the most notable scientist is

Louis Pasteur in the 1860's. With his discovery of the

fermentation process he was able to completely disprove the idea

of spontaneous generation of diseases.

ph Lister utilized the information discovered by Semmelweis

and Pasteur to develop antiseptic surgery in the late 1860's.

This included the cleaning of medical instruments and the

improved sterilization of exam rooms.

After the discovery of germs and proof that germs did in fact

transmit diseases, people slowly started accepting the fact that

improved hygiene and isolation of infected patients can help

prevent the transmission of diseases. Some practices that were

undertaken by healthcare professionals and the general public

alike, included such things as covering their mouth when they

cough, covering their face and mouth when sneezing, frequent hand

washing, and ultimately the use of medical gloves.

How the Discovery of Germ Theory Has Improved Medical Care

The first mention of medical gloves was in 1889, but only for

surgical procedures. It is hard to imagine that doctors and

nurses performed medical procedures without exam gloves prior to

this time. Since medical gloves started being used on a

widespread basis, the rate of infection and patient mortality has

decreased a great deal.

Times sure have changed since the discovery of the germ theory.

Today you cannot go into any medical office, hospital, nursing

home, etc. without seeing healthcare workers utilizing medical

exam gloves to help reduce the spread of infections and germs.

Today medical examination gloves are so common that many people,

who are not healthcare workers, also have access to medical

gloves on their job. This can include postal employees, police

officers, teachers, etc.

Particularly since the discovery of HIV, people have started

using medical examination gloves if there is even a remote

possibility that they will come into contact with bodily fluids,

especially blood. All conventional healthcare practitioners today

are utilizing medical exam gloves while caring for patients. The

risk of infecting a patient, or being infected by a patient, is

simply too high to not use medical gloves.

Germs Can Play A Positive Role In Our Lives Too

Many healthcare experts today suggest that we have gone overboard

with protecting ourselves from germs and their negative affects.

Nowadays, people are very vigilant with hand washing and using

antibacterial products to keep from getting germs. Some people

even suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder because they worry

about germs so much. Have you ever seen the television show

Monk?

How could we have gone overboard with our fight against germs?

Medical experts tell us that our immune systems are becoming

weakened because of our lack of exposure to germs. Our immune

systems are not getting mild infections as often, and therefore,

our bodies do not fight off illness as well when we do get

infections. An immune system that has had no prior exposure to

mild infections would have a tough time fighting off a major

infection. This is why many doctors are hesitant to prescribe

medications for minor infections today. It is often better for

our body to battle these infections on their own, without the

assistance of pharmaceuticals.

Keeping A Proper Balance Between Germ Acceptance and Self

Protection

Of course this newer germ theory does not mean that we should not

use medical gloves in healthcare. However, we should be aware

that we do not need antibiotics to take care of every minor

infection or illness that we suffer from. In fact, not using

antibiotics for some infections helps our bodies to become

healthier in the long run and to cope with future, more severe,

infections.

Medical gloves, sterilization, and hand washing are still

critically important to prevent the unneeded spread of diseases

and infections. These methods have been proven to dramatically

increase the success rates of surgeries and examinations, and to

improve the overall health of people.

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Davin Abernathy writes about medical equipment and medical

management. DonTheGlove.com is the online division of Handgards

Inc, a 45 year old company specializing in medical exam gloves.

Don The Glove also produces several kinds of latex free exam

gloves ( http://www.dontheglove.com/syntheticgloves/ ). If you

thought this article was helpful, you may explore additional

articles at: http://www.dontheglove.com/