MIMM 211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Spontaneous Generation, Glycerol, Protozoa

• School: McGill University
• Department: Microbiology & Immunology
• Course: MIMM 211
• Professor: Benoit Cousineau

Document Summary

Microbiology: study of microorganisms (mo"s), using special techniques, microscope, isolation cultures, sterilization, etc. Spontaneous generation (believed by aristotle, etc: needham, boil mutton broth, put in flask, seal flask. Mos appeared: supports spontaneous generation, spallanzani, seal mutton broth in flask, boil flask+broth. Created (cid:862)dust-free box(cid:863) where any dust in the air would get stuck to glycerin on the inner walls. No mos appeared in anything in the box. Causes of disease: magic, invisible organisms, miasmas (poison vapours, germ theory: mos or dust particles in the air. Imbalance of the 4 body humors: blood/phlegm/yellow bile/black bile: bassi found fungus causing disease in silkworms, berkeley found fungi caused the potato blight in ireland, pasteur found protozoans infecting silkworms, so it"s not just fungi. More advancements in techniques: lister, heat sterilization of instruments + phenol applied to a wound post-surgery will kill mos and stop infection, koch, bacteria (anthracis) is the cause of anthrax.