| Date | 1854 |
| Author | Pacini |
| Contribution | Discovered microorganisms in intestines of cholera victims and proposed causation. |
| Reference | Chase |
| Notes | Filippo Pacini, professor of anatomy at Florence. He called the microbes "vibrio cholera" (the name later became Vibrio cholerae Pacini 1854; see S. Johnson. 2006). Concluded that they could multiply in the body and cause cholera. This was 30 years before Koch's discovery of the cholera vibrio. Pacini received little support from others, probably because the observation was made early in the evolution of the Germ Theory, when the concept was considered implausible, miasmatism was in vogue, and the methods of isolation and culture had not been developed. William Farr of England was one of the few who called attention to the importance of Pacini's work. See 1854 Hassall and 1884 Koch. |
| Category | Causation |
| Pathogen Class | Bacteria |
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