Microbiology

Microbiology

—In the second half of the nineteenth century, the study of microorganisms was transformed into a key discipline for the control and eradication of infectious diseases.—   Ideas about the etiology of infectious diseases changed with the evolution of...
‘Magic bullets’

‘Magic bullets’

—How we learned to take aim in a chemical sense in the history of medicine.—   The discovery that specific microorganisms were responsible for infectious diseases led to the search for therapeutic substances to eliminate them. Serotherapy was used, by...
Ignaz Semmelweis

Ignaz Semmelweis

—A biography to reflect in the importance of hygiene for health.—   Until the mid-nineteenth century, one of the main complications after childbirth was called postpartum sepsis or postpartum infection. Once the placenta is detached, the vessels in...
Bacteria and laboratories

Bacteria and laboratories

—In the second half of the nineteenth century, the bacteriological laboratory was transformed into a new setting for diagnosing, preventing and treating infectious diseases.—   The verification that microscopic living things were the origin of...
Clinical revolution

Clinical revolution

—Injuries, functional disorders and the study of other causes of illness were at the centre of the medical revolution of the nineteenth century.—   Disease has always been present in human life. The way in which it has been understood, however, has...
The birth of the industry of precision

The birth of the industry of precision

—The material culture of science was substantially transformed in the nineteenth century, a process in which the new instrument production industry played a key role.—   The material culture of science, in particular scientific instruments, underwent...
Women of science in the nineteenth century

Women of science in the nineteenth century

—The new context of the nineteenth century created new barriers for women’s access to science. Despite this, their contributions continued to be very relevant in many areas.—   One of the texts in which William Whewell defended the new word...
Classification and discipline: The order of the elements

Classification and discipline: The order of the elements

—The periodic table, a product of the collective creativity of science classrooms in the nineteenth century.—   The periodic system is one of the most popular icons of contemporary chemistry. It is a classification of the elements that, through...
Science in the classroom

Science in the classroom

—A journey through the teaching of experimental science and the training of the elite.—   There is no scientific discipline that is valued without, at least, one founding father. Chemistry has two. The father of modern chemistry, Antoine Lavoisier,...
William Whewell and science as a liberal profession

William Whewell and science as a liberal profession

—Science emerged as a profession in the nineteenth century, at the same time as a structure of disciplines and specialties was took shape.—   William Whewell (1794-1866) developed a unique academic career in the first half of the nineteenth century....