Germ theory denialism

Short description: Pseudoscientific belief that germs do not cause disease

Germ theory denialism is the pseudoscientific belief that germs are not the main cause of infectious disease, and that the germ theory of disease does not take into account internal and external factors such as those described in traditional Chinese medicine.[1] It usually involves arguing that Louis Pasteur's model of infectious disease is illogical, and that Antoine Béchamp's theory of disease has more logical merit. In fact, its origins are rooted in Béchamp's theory of pleomorphism.[2] One main, yet discarded, variation is known as terrain theory which postulates that germs morphologically change in response to environmental factors, subsequently causing disease, rather than germs being the sole cause of it.[3]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Terrain theory
* 2 Status
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## History

Germ theory denialism is as old as germ theory itself, beginning with the rivalry of Pasteur and Béchamp. Pasteur's work in preventing beverage contamination led him to discover that it was due to microorganisms and led him to become the first scientist to prove the validity of the theory and to popularize it in Europe.[2] Before him, scientists such as Girolamo Fracastoro (who had the idea that fomites could harbor the seeds of contagion), Agostino Bassi (who discovered that the muscardine disease of silkworms was caused by a fungus that was named Beauveria bassiana), Friedrich Henle (who developed the concepts of contagium vivum and contagium animatum), and others had proposed ideas similar to germ theory.[4][5]

Béchamp strongly contested Pasteur's view, proposing a competing idea known as the pleomorphic theory of disease. This theory says that all life is based on forms that a certain class of organisms take during stages of their life cycles and that germs are attracted to the environment of diseased tissue rather than being the cause of it.[6] Proponents of this idea insist that microbes that live in an organism go through the same stages of their development. According to Günther Enderlein, the stages are as follows:[7]

* colloid – microbe (primitive phase)
* bacteria (middle phase)
* fungus (end phase)

Related to this is the disproven premise that viruses are the result of bodily damage caused by unwholesome habits or lifestyle.

Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science church, was another prominent germ theory denialist. When asked in an interview by the New York Herald whether she "reject[ed] utterly the bacteria theory of the propagation of disease", she replied, "Entirely," adding, "If I harbored that idea about a disease, I should think myself in danger of catching it."[8] Christian Scientists deny the material reality of disease and rely solely on prayer for healing.

### Terrain theory

The terrain theory is a variation of Béchamp's ideas that is also an obsolete medical theory that held that diseases were caused by the composition of the body. The "terrain" will attract germs to come as scavengers of the weakened or poorly defended tissue. Béchamp believed that the pH of the body is important, and that an acidic pH will attract germs and an alkaline pH will repel them. Pasteur disproved spontaneous generation with a series of experiments in the 1870s.[4]

While understanding the causes of sickness does not always immediately lead to effective treatment, the great decline in mortality during the 19th century stemmed from preventing the transmission of pathogens through improvements in hygiene and sanitation. In fact, one of the first movements to deny the germ theory, the Sanitary Movement, was nevertheless central in developing America's public health infrastructure. Providing clean water and sanitation reduced the environment for pathogens to develop, and mortality rates fell dramatically.[9][10][11]

## Status

Germ theory denialism is counter to over a century of experiments and practical observations, and the prevailing opinion of almost all doctors and scientists.[1][2][12]

A common thread among many alternative medicine proponents is opposition to vaccines, and some use their disbelief in germ theory to justify their claims.[13] Germ theory deniers make many claims about the biological underpinnings of the theory and the historical record[14][15] that are at odds with what most modern scientists and historians accept.[1][2][4][16] Another claim from the anti-vaccine community involves the theory that all diseases are caused by toxins due to inadequate diet and health practices.[17]

## See also

* Vaccine hesitancy
* HIV/AIDS denialism
* COVID-19 misinformation
* Hygiene hypothesis
* Pleomorphism (microbiology)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Novella, Steven (2010-11-04). "Germ Theory Denial". https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/germ-theory-denial/.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Gorski, David (2010-08-09). "Germ theory denialism: A major strain in "alt-med" thought". https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/germ-theory-denialism-a-major-strain-in-alt-med-thought/.
3. ↑ Madigan, M.T.; Martinko, J.M. (2006). Brock Biology of Microorganisms. Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0132017848. https://books.google.com/books?id=DBOOmgEACAAJ. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Germ Theory". Harvard. http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/germtheory.html.
5. ↑ Guthrie, D.J.; Rhodes, P.. "Verification of the germ theory". https://www.britannica.com/science/history-of-medicine/Verification-of-the-germ-theory.
6. ↑ Béchamp, Antoine (2020). The Blood and Its Third Element. A Distant Mirror.
7. ↑ Poehlman, Karl Horst (1997). "Synthesis of the Work of Enderlein, Bechamps and other Pleomorphic Researchers". Explore! 8 (2). ISSN 1091-8361. http://explorepub.com/articles/enderlein3.html.
8. ↑ "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany/Chapter 2.20". Wikisource. 1898. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_First_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist,_and_Miscellany/Chapter_2.20.
9. ↑ Pizzi, R.A.. "Apostles of cleanliness". http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/archive/mdd/v05/i05/html/05ttl.html.
10. ↑ Pontin, Jason. "The 19th-Century Crank Who Tried to Tell Us About the Microbiome". Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/the-19th-century-crank-who-tried-to-tell-us-about-the-microbiome/.
11. ↑ Brock Biology of Microorganisms (11th ed.). Prentice Hall. 2005. ISBN 0-13-144329-1.
12. ↑ Gorski, David (2010-08-09). "Yes, there really are people who don't accept the germ theory of disease". https://respectfulinsolence.com/2010/08/09/yes-there-really-are-people-who-dont-acc/.
13. ↑ Crilip, Mark (2008-11-07). "It's just a theory". https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/its-just-a-theory/.
14. ↑ Fielder, J.L. (2001). Handbook of Nature Cure Volume One: Nature Cure vs. Medical Science; Chapter One: That Fallacious Germ Theory. Academy of Natural Living. ISBN 0958661146. http://chestofbooks.com/health/natural-cure/John-L-Fielder/Handbook-of-Nature-Cure-Vol1/Chapter-One-That-Fallacious-Germ-Theory.html. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
15. ↑ "Vaccinations – Overview". https://www.arizonaadvancedmedicine.com/Articles/2016/May/Vaccinations-Overview.aspx.
16. ↑ Hodkinson, J.. "The history of germ theory". https://bigpictureeducation.com/history-germ-theory.
17. ↑ Hall, Harriet A. (2008-12-09). "'I Reject Your Reality' – Germ Theory Denial and Other Curiosities". https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/i-reject-your-reality/.

## External links

* "RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory". https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/04/rfk-jr-s-anti-vaccine-stance-is-rooted-in-a-disbelief-in-germ-theory/.

* The Blood and Its Third Element – English translation of Antoine Béchamp’s work (A Distant Mirror)
* A Distant Mirror – publisher homepage

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