Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Characterizing a "new" disease: epizootic and epidemic anthrax, 1769-1780.
- Journal:
- American journal of public health
- Year:
- 2003
- Authors:
- Morens, David M
- Affiliation:
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases · United States
Plain-English summary
This study looks back at how anthrax, a serious disease that affects both humans and animals, was understood in France between 1769 and 1780. It highlights that the identification of diseases like anthrax often comes from piecing together various observations and data over time, rather than just from new discoveries or technology. The author suggests that understanding how diseases have been characterized in the past can help improve the way we study and manage new diseases today. This review does not focus on a specific case or treatment outcome, but rather on the historical context of anthrax research.
Abstract
In 1876, Robert Koch established anthrax as the first disease linked to a microbial agent. But Koch's efforts had followed more than 150 years of scientific progress in characterizing anthrax as a specific human and veterinary disease. Focusing on France and the period between 1769 and 1780, this brief review examines noteworthy early events in the characterization of anthrax. It suggests that some "new" diseases like anthrax might be "discovered" not only by luck, brilliance, or new technologies, but by clinical/epidemiological "puzzle-fitting," which can assemble a cohesive picture of a seemingly specific disease entity. If such processes have operated over 2 or more centuries, studying them may yield clues about desirable interactions between epidemiology/public health and experimental science in the characterization of new diseases.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12773345/