Bacterial pneumonia historical perspective
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Overview
Pneumonia is a disease that has been prevalent for centuries and is a condition that many physicians can claim to have seen and treated in healthcare environments.
Historical Perspective
One of the earliest confirmed cases of bacterial pneumonia can be traced back to 1880, when Louis Pasteur and George Sternberg first isolated the most common microorganism responsible, Streptococcus pneumoniae. Due to its high mortality rate, pneumonia was often referred to as “captain of the men of death” in the 20th century.[1]. In fact, a majority of deaths during the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 were attributed to a fatal bacterial pneumonia following the initial viral infection.[2]
Before the discovery of present-day formidable antibiotics, a common method of treating the disease included bloodletting or the use of leeches, as described by William Osler in his textbook, The Principles and Practice of Medicine, written in 1892.[3]
References
- ↑ Gennaris A, Collet JF (2013). "The 'captain of the men of death', Streptococcus pneumoniae, fights oxidative stress outside the 'city wall'". EMBO Mol Med. 5 (12): 1798–800. doi:10.1002/emmm.201303482. PMC 3914527. PMID 24293314.
- ↑ Morens DM, Taubenberger JK, Fauci AS (2008). "Predominant role of bacterial pneumonia as a cause of death in pandemic influenza: implications for pandemic influenza preparedness". J Infect Dis. 198 (7): 962–70. doi:10.1086/591708. PMC 2599911. PMID 18710327.
- ↑ Bryan CS (2019). "New observations support William Osler's rationale for systemic bloodletting". Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 32 (3): 372–376. doi:10.1080/08998280.2019.1615331. PMC 6650279 Check
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value (help). PMID 31384189.