Question

1. writing a three sentence explanation telling the how you think this question relates to one or more of these course learning outcomes:-

Question: "What were the differences in mortality rates due to puerperal fever that Ignaz Semmelweis observed? How did he propose to reduce the occurrence of puerperal fever? Did it work?"

learning outcomes:

-Describe the development and modern practice of microbiology as a scientific discipline.

- Relate the criteria of phenotypic, etiological, metabolic, nutritional and growth based microbial classification systems.

- Identify microbes phenotypically and by etiology, metabolism, nutrition and growth.

- Relate and critique the effects of, and controls on, microbes in the environment.

- Relate and critique the effects of, and controls on, microbes in the body.

- Examine the effects of a particular microbe on the human immune system.

Answer 1

*Historically, Puerperal fever was a devastating and common disease in mid 19th century hospitals and often fattal with mortality at 10% - 35%.

Ignaz semmelweis discovered that the incidence of Puerperal fever could be drastically cut by the use of hand disinfectant in obstetrical clinics.Worldwide, this caused the death of about 1400 people each day.

After certain observation, Ignaz semmelweis stated that, the mortality rate in April 1847 was 18.3%. After handwashing was instituted in mid-May, the mortality rate in June was 2.2%, July-1.5%, August-1.9% and then death rate was zero and this continued...

Semmelweis demonstrated that the handwashing could reduce the number of women dying after childbirth.He demonstrated that the use of handwashing could reduce the occurrence of Puerperal fever in patients. He showed that if physician washed their hands with a chloride solution before they attend patient,then they prevented those patient from developing Puerperal fever. Semmelweis chloride solution although harsh for human skin, reduce the rate of Puerperal fever in the hospitals.

His claims were thought to lack scientific basis,since he could offer no acceptable explanation for his findings. Hence, his ideas was rejected by the medical community..

* Their are four main scientific advances form the basis of modern microbiology: 1)Invention of hybridization from probe.2)Discovery of the polymerase chain reaction.3)The observation that the microbial species signature can be read in the ribosomal gene.4)It can also read in the protein.

* Classification seeks to describe the diversity of bacterial species by naming and grouping organisms based on similarities.Molecular organism can be classified on the basis of phenotypes, their cell structure,metabolic activity,nutritional value or differences in cell components such as DNA,fatty acids,in which all are related to each other...

* There is a demonstrated link between exposures to infectious organism present in built environment and human health.Microbes invariably affect the environment that they are growing in.The most significant effect of micro organism on earth environment is their ability to recycle the primary elements that make up all living system especially carbon(C),oxygen(O)and nitrogen(N).

* A wide array of microbial components and characteristics are known to impact on human health.There's even some emerging evidence that they can influence on our Nervous system, to influence things like modes and behaviour.There is also strong evidence that microbes may contribute to many non-infectious chronic diseases like cancer.

* An infection can be seen as a battle between the invading pathogen and the host.The immune system promote the growth of beneficial microbes and help maintain a stable microbial community.While in return, a healthy microbiota produces molecular signals that supports the development of immune cells and contribute to the fine tuning of immune responses..