Who proved that microorganisms cause disease

Who proved that microorganisms cause disease? To answer this question, you have to know short details of the germ theory of disease and the contribution of many scientists to this theory. Learning the germ theory of disease helps you answer many questions. For example, who discovered microorganisms that cause disease or who proposed the germ theory of disease, etc. To find the exact answer, you may find it confusing. Is it Pasteur or Agostino bassi? But here is a clear conception with the explanation.

Please remember that Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek was the first person to discover microorganisms in 1673. Before that Robert Hooke first observed living things in his microscope in 1665. Especially it was a plant cell Mucor.

Before the discovery of microorganisms by Van Leeuwenhoek in 1673, many scientists tried to find out the cause of disease. They described these causative agents as various terms but not as microorganism. Because nobody knew about microorganism before 1673.

For example,

• Greek historian Thucydides proposed that disease is transmitted through seeds-like-particle in 460-400BC.
• Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27BC) states that certain minute creatures or unseen organisms spread in the air, enter the body through mouth and nose, and cause disease.
• Roman Physician Galen (129-210 AD) speculated that certain seeds of plague are responsible to cause plague. And many other scientists termed the infectious agent as “Seeds of disease”.
• Ibn Sina (1025) and Ibn Al-Haj Al Abdari (1250-1336) mentioned these infectious agents as unseen particles or dirt or contagion.
• Ibn khatima and Ibn Al-Khatib in the 1300s mentioned these infectious agents as minute bodies.
• Girolamo Fracastoro (1546) developed the concept of seeds of disease. He added that direct or indirect contact may cause disease even from long distances.

Who proved that microorganisms cause disease:

Agostino Bassi or Luis Pasteur? Let’s see its explanation.

Agostino Bassi:

Agostino Bassi first discovered that microorganism cause disease through a series of an experiment during 1808 and 1813. In his experiment, he discovered that a vegetative parasite cause silkworm disease. This parasite is a fungus called Beauveria bassiana that grows naturally in soils. The name bassiana was named after the name of Agostino Bassi.

BUT, when you search on google- who proved that microorganisms cause disease – you will get the answer like the following figure.

And when you click that link you will find like following.

Rather, you will find many articles that mentioned Agostino Bassi to be the first person to say that microorganisms cause disease. Even Encyclopedia says- Agostino Bassi was the first person to discover that microorganisms cause disease.

However, in one link, Wikipedia says Agostino proceed Pasteur to work on this discovery.

So, Agostino Bassi is the first person to prove that microorganisms cause disease.

Disclaimer: Don’t consider me as a relative or friend of Agostino Bassi.