Early evidence of microorganisms causing disease

As early as in 1813 there was evidence that specific fungi can cause diseases of wheat & rye, and in 1845 M. J. Berkley had proved that Potato Blight was also caused by a fungus. There was an incidence of “Great Potato Blight” in Ireland, which was a natural disaster that has immense effect on Irish history. So the importance of these diseases cannot be overlooked. Not only plants, fungal disease of animals were also in picture and in 1836 A. Bassi of Italy had shown the cause of certain silk worm disease was fungus. And few years later J. L. Schonlein showed that fungus can also cause skin disease to human. But unfortunately these discoveries fail to make medical science believe that microorganisms are responsible for major infectious diseases of humans. Actually they underestimated the capacity of microorganisms due to its small size. Everybody thought that an organism as small as bacteria cannot make much harm to a much bigger animal like human.

Microbes and disease

After observing few roles of microbes in fermentation process let us focus on its role in producing various diseases in human or other animal’s body. This is the most known fact about microbes by common people. Here also it was Pasteur who gave the insight. Pasteur was looking in to the spoilage of beer and wine by undesirable microorganisms & termed the fact as “disease” of beer and wine. He also added that many disease of human might also have similar origin i.e. produced by the growth of undesirable organisms in their bodies.

H. Buchner’s contribution in fermentation

After the discovery of fermentation by Pasteur who also showed that fermentation is far less energy yielding process than aerobic respiration, H. Buchner came out with a very important accidental discovery. Pasteur’s work had showed that fermentations are “vital processes” playing important role of basic physiological importance in the life of many cells. H. Buchner in order to prevent grounded yeast cells kept along with sand from decaying added sugar solutions to it. Astonishingly he found that CO2 formation was taking place, which suggest that grounded dead yeast cells can also ferment sugar solution i.e. the cell free extract of yeast can cause fermentation like the live cell. This is a revolution in Biochemistry & led to the belief that every biochemical process be made possible outside the cell. And thus the chemists came well at last. Their earlier theory that fermentation is a chemical process is actually true. The only difference is the presence of biological enzymes making the reaction possible at physiological temperature.