Bedside Rounds

Germs are regarded today with a combination of fear and disgust. But mankind’s first introduction to the microbial world started off on a very different foot. In this episode, as part of a larger series contextualizing germ theory, we’ll talk about the discovery of animalcules and how they forever changed our conception of the natural world -- and what causes disease. Plus, a new #AdamAnswers about the influence of Bayes Theorem on medicine!   Sources: Albury WR, Marie-Francois-Xavier Bichat, Encyclopedia of Life Science, 2001.  Ball CS, The Early History of the Compound Microscope, Bios, Vol 37, No2 (May 1966). Findlen P, Athanasius Kircher: The Last Man Who Knew Everything.  Feinstein AR, “An Analysis of Diagnostic Reasoning,” Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 1973. Forsberg L.Nature's Invisibilia: The Victorian Microscope and the Miniature Fairy, Victorian Studies 2015. Gest H. The discovery of microorganisms by Robert Hooke and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Fellows of The Royal Society. Notes and Records o