germ theory
noun
: a theory in medicine: infections, contagious diseases, and various other conditions result from the action of microorganisms
Examples of germ theory in a Sentence
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Kellogg’s thinking on constipation, that anything less than three bowel movements a day risked dangerous intestinal putrefaction, was shaped by the emerging germ theory of disease and the ascent of bacteriology as a discipline through the closing decades of the 19th century.
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Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
Microbes as Medicine Ever since scientists realized that microscopic organisms can cause illness – what’s called the 19th-century germ theory of disease – humanity has been on a quest to keep infectious agents out of our bodies.
—Bill Sullivan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2024
But preventing and treating disease by co-opting the very microbes that threaten us has a history that long predates germ theory.
—Bill Sullivan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2024
An early believer in germ theory, Fanny would rigorously protect her husband later in life from visitors with colds, irritating both him and would-be callers.
—Phyllis Rose, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for germ theory 
Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
Microbes as Medicine Ever since scientists realized that microscopic organisms can cause illness – what’s called the 19th-century germ theory of disease – humanity has been on a quest to keep infectious agents out of our bodies.
—Bill Sullivan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2024
But preventing and treating disease by co-opting the very microbes that threaten us has a history that long predates germ theory.
—Bill Sullivan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2024
An early believer in germ theory, Fanny would rigorously protect her husband later in life from visitors with colds, irritating both him and would-be callers.
—Phyllis Rose, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for germ theory
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'germ theory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Germ theory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germ%20theory. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
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