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Germ theory states that specific microscopic organisms are the cause of specific diseases. The theory was developed, proved, and popularized in Europe and North America between about 1850 and 1920. Because its implications were so different from the centuries-old humoral theory, germ theory revolutionized the theory and practice of medicine and the understanding of disease. It was, however, compatible with existing ideas about health, especially those associated with 19th-century hygiene and sanitation.

NPR's Jason Beaubien explains cholera, a deadly disease spread through water contaminated with sewage, in under two minutes.