The Miasma Theory of Disease

The Miasma Theory of Disease
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The Miasma Theory of Disease
The miasma theory is one of the most prevalent theories that explain how diseases happen. A miasma is a cloud of steam that scientists believed to be the cause of disease. A miasma is exemplified by its pungent smell of rottenness. The miasma theory indicates that sicknesses arise when people inhale hair from a miasma. The cloud from the miasma would infect an individual with a disease leading to death. The common belief was that miasmas only occurred in dingy places that were smelly or had raw sewage. This theory has been around for a long time and in the medieval period doctors wore masks that had a flowery smell to ward off the miasmas that came from the sick people that they were caring for in time of need. Apart from wearing flowery masks to keep out bad smell, people ensured that buildings had very good aeration, and sewer pipes were erected far from cities. Swamps were also drained to ensure that they did not emit a...