What was claimed
Germ theory is a scientifically proven lie.
Our verdict
This is not true. Germ theory is an established scientific fact.
Germ theory is not ‘a lie’
Text in an image being shared on Instagram claims that “germ theory is a scientifically proven lie”. It also states that “all illness is formed internally” and “experiments have proven that humans cannot pass disease from one to another”.
None of this is true.
Honesty in public debate matters
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What is ‘germ theory’?
The fact that many human diseases are caused by microscopic organisms was first established by scientists including Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch and Joseph Lister in the 19th century. This has often been called the “germ theory” of disease.
Far from being false, germ theory has been conclusively proved. And our understanding of germs and how to treat the illnesses they cause has grown stronger in the years since Pasteur.
Health authorities around the world list many “communicable” or “infectious” diseases caused by germs, many of which do involve humans passing the disease to one another.
Many treatments and preventative medicines based on the germ theory of disease are also used effectively every day, including antibiotics, antivirals and vaccines.
Some diseases are not caused by germs, such as those that arise as a result of nutrient deficiency, lifestyle factors or genetic problems.
Nevertheless, it is absolutely untrue to say that germ theory is a lie, that all illnesses are formed internally, or that humans can’t pass diseases to each other.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because germ theory is an established scientific fact. Humans can pass diseases to each other.