During the 19th century, some famous scientists and health care workers including Florence Nightingale believed that filth in itself caused diseases. We now know that it is not filth and dirt in themselves that cause disease; it is the bacteria that thrive in unsanitary and unclean conditions.

Bacteria are very tiny forms of life visible only under a microscope. To give you a rough idea of their size, imagine all eight million people reduced to the size of bacteria. They would fit very comfortably into a drop of water!

When scientists had the microscope, knowledge about bacteria increased and one after another of the bacteria causing diseases were discovered and investigated. The bacillus of tuberculosis was discovered in 1882; the bacillus of diphtheria and that of tetanus in 1884. Today, most of the diseases caused by bacteria are understood.

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