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richardf8A theory is basically an explanation of observed phenomena. How good a theory is depends on two things. First, how satisfactorily it explains the phenomenon observed.
Second, whether other observable phenomena contradict it.
The Zohar, referencing the Talmud, advances the following theory for the observed phenomenon that people who do not wash their hands after using the bathroom are more likely to get sick than those who do:
"There is one spirit in every bathroom of the world, dwelling there, reveling in that dirt and filth, and it settles immediately on the fingers of one's hands." (Matt, Zohar 70)
"Demons?!?!?" we think, laughing at the quaintness of it all and engaging in what a former professor of mine, Dr. Alan Isler, liked to call the "fallacy of the superior us." The truth is that this is not a bad theory. Given the tools of observation that were available (the Microscope would not be invented for a few hundred years) this theory did adequtely explain the phenomenon, and, within the scope of phenomena then observable, was not contradicted by any other observable evidence.
Only when Anton Von Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope could germ theory even germinate. And even then, germs were thought to spontaneously generate until Louis Pasteur demonstrated that they would not appear in a sterile nutrient broth.
At this point, evidence was sufficient that a) Germs, rather than Demons caused disease, and b) proper sanitary technique could mitigate disease by controlling Germ population.
The practical application of both these theories, however, remains the same: Wash your hands after you use the bathroom.
The Demon question, however, is not completely settled. There is a degree to which humans will not accept that organisms that can harm them are indifferent, and not acting out of ill will. So while the SCIENCE of food safety understands that germs are merely acting according to their nature, the ICONOGRAPHY of food safety paints an entirely different picture, as in this poster from the Kansas Department of Health:
Here we see germs personified, and it is worth noting that these personification look like they would be quite at home with the Demons of Pete Abrams' "Dimension of Pain."
Second, whether other observable phenomena contradict it.
The Zohar, referencing the Talmud, advances the following theory for the observed phenomenon that people who do not wash their hands after using the bathroom are more likely to get sick than those who do:
"There is one spirit in every bathroom of the world, dwelling there, reveling in that dirt and filth, and it settles immediately on the fingers of one's hands." (Matt, Zohar 70)
"Demons?!?!?" we think, laughing at the quaintness of it all and engaging in what a former professor of mine, Dr. Alan Isler, liked to call the "fallacy of the superior us." The truth is that this is not a bad theory. Given the tools of observation that were available (the Microscope would not be invented for a few hundred years) this theory did adequtely explain the phenomenon, and, within the scope of phenomena then observable, was not contradicted by any other observable evidence.
Only when Anton Von Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope could germ theory even germinate. And even then, germs were thought to spontaneously generate until Louis Pasteur demonstrated that they would not appear in a sterile nutrient broth.
At this point, evidence was sufficient that a) Germs, rather than Demons caused disease, and b) proper sanitary technique could mitigate disease by controlling Germ population.
The practical application of both these theories, however, remains the same: Wash your hands after you use the bathroom.
The Demon question, however, is not completely settled. There is a degree to which humans will not accept that organisms that can harm them are indifferent, and not acting out of ill will. So while the SCIENCE of food safety understands that germs are merely acting according to their nature, the ICONOGRAPHY of food safety paints an entirely different picture, as in this poster from the Kansas Department of Health:
Here we see germs personified, and it is worth noting that these personification look like they would be quite at home with the Demons of Pete Abrams' "Dimension of Pain."
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Date: 2005-02-26 11:41 pm (UTC)Talking of Abrams' DoP, the Saturday "Meanwhile In..." spinoff just finished with a bit of extreme demonology. :P
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Date: 2005-02-27 12:21 am (UTC)http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/fifth.html
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Date: 2005-02-26 11:57 pm (UTC)They actually look sort of cute.
And why is "Fifth Disease" listed tenth?
===|==============/ Level Head
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Date: 2005-02-27 12:23 am (UTC)Definition in link in response to Tim.
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Date: 2005-02-27 06:56 am (UTC)