A chapter in JFK Jr.'s book about germ theory has shed new light on just why U.S. health policy is being changed.

Germ theory is the idea that pathogens can invade the human body and cause disease — and it wasn't always accepted. Evidence for germ theory accumulated over time, and as it did, it butted ...

Germ theory led to some of the most important advances in human health: hand washing, vaccines, antibiotics, clean water systems, and improved hygiene practices in hospitals, schools, and restaurants.

Dueling theories. Germ theory is, of course, the 19th-century proven idea that microscopic germs—pathogenic viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi—cause disease.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apparently embraces the outdated "miasma theory" of disease instead of the widely accept "germ theory" of disease, which may help explain some of the actions ...

Germ theory, formalized in the 19th century by Louis Pasteur, replaced the once-dominant “miasma theory,” which held that disease stemmed from foul-smelling air or vapors from rotting organic ...

Germ theory says that infectious diseases are caused by the activity of micro-organisms within the body. Germ theory explained common causes of death It stems from the discovery by a Viennese doctor, ...

Live Science spoke with author Thomas Levenson about his new book on the history of germ theory. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it ...