Which scientist found that pathogens are the source of some diseases?

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Understanding that diseases can be caused by specific microbes is foundational. Robert Koch provided decisive proof by linking particular pathogens to specific diseases and by formulating Koch’s postulates, a set of criteria used to establish causation. He identified the bacteria behind diseases such as anthrax, tuberculosis, and cholera, showing that pathogens can be the source of disease. While Louis Pasteur helped establish germ theory and Joseph Lister applied it to surgery with antiseptics, they didn’t, in the same targeted way, prove causal relationships for specific diseases. The Hippocratic Oath is an ancient ethical pledge rather than a discovery about disease causation.