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What Really Makes Us Sick? The Terrain or the Germ? Part II
Introduction
In part I of “What Really Makes Us Sick? The Terrain or the Germ?”, we discussed the history of the germ and terrain theory, as well as some of the foundational principles of the terrain theory. In part II, we will introduce the concept of pleomorphism and explore some alternative reasons why we actually become sick. If you haven’t already read part I of this blog, it is important to do so, to be able to understand the topics discussed part II.
Monomorphism VS Pleomorphism
When Louis Pasteur proposed the germ theory in the 1850’s, he was convinced that all micro-organisms, such as bacteria had a definite and unalterable function, a fixed size and shape and that they were derived from an identical cell of the same lineage1. He argued that each pathogenic species of bacteria caused one specific disease and that they must be ‘caught’ from our external environment1. According to Pasteur, bacteria with these specific characteristics have...
