<P> The germ theory was proposed by Girolamo Fracastoro in 1546 , and expanded upon by Marcus von Plenciz in 1762 . Such views were held in disdain , however , and Galen 's miasma theory remained dominant among scientists and doctors . The nature of this doctrine prevented them from understanding how diseases actually progressed , with predictable consequences . By the early nineteenth century , smallpox vaccination was commonplace in Europe , though doctors were unaware of how it worked or how to extend the principle to other diseases . Similar treatments had been prevalent in India from just before 1000 A.D. A transitional period began in the late 1850s as the work of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch provided convincing evidence ; by 1880 , the miasma theory was struggling to compete with the germ theory of disease . Eventually , a `` golden era '' of bacteriology ensued , during which the theory quickly led to the identification of the actual organisms that cause many diseases . Viruses were discovered in the 1890s . </P>
<P> The germ theory was proposed by Girolamo Fracastoro in 1546 , and expanded upon by Marcus von Plenciz in 1762 . Such views were held in disdain , however , and Galen 's miasma theory remained dominant among scientists and doctors . The nature of this doctrine prevented them from understanding how diseases actually progressed , with predictable consequences . By the early nineteenth century , smallpox vaccination was commonplace in Europe , though doctors were unaware of how it worked or how to extend the principle to other diseases . Similar treatments had been prevalent in India from just before 1000 A.D. A transitional period began in the late 1850s as the work of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch provided convincing evidence ; by 1880 , the miasma theory was struggling to compete with the germ theory of disease . Eventually , a `` golden era '' of bacteriology ensued , during which the theory quickly led to the identification of the actual organisms that cause many diseases . Viruses were discovered in the 1890s . </P>
who came up with the hypothesis of the germ theory of disease
who came up with the hypothesis of the germ theory of disease
Girolamo Fracastoro
Girolamo Fracastoro