Open AccessCharacterizing a “New” Disease: Epizootic and Epidemic Anthrax, 1769–1780
Author(s) -
David M. Morens
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.93.6.886
Subject(s) - epizootic , luck , epidemiology , disease , public health , outbreak , anthrax vaccines , anthrax toxin , medicine , biology , virology , immunology , epistemology , pathology , philosophy , dna vaccination , biochemistry , immunization , antigen , fusion protein , gene , recombinant dna
In 1876, Robert Koch established anthrax as the first disease linked to a microbial agent. But Koch's efforts had followed more than 150 years of scientific progress in characterizing anthrax as a specific human and veterinary disease. Focusing on France and the period between 1769 and 1780, this brief review examines noteworthy early events in the characterization of anthrax. It suggests that some "new" diseases like anthrax might be "discovered" not only by luck, brilliance, or new technologies, but by clinical/epidemiological "puzzle-fitting," which can assemble a cohesive picture of a seemingly specific disease entity. If such processes have operated over 2 or more centuries, studying them may yield clues about desirable interactions between epidemiology/public health and experimental science in the characterization of new diseases.