Vol. 35 No. 1 (2018): February
Historic Note

A remarkable semantic convergence: infection and miasma

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  • Carlos G. Osorio
Carlos G. Osorio
Universidad de Chile

Published 2018-02-28

Keywords

How to Cite

1.
Osorio CG. A remarkable semantic convergence: infection and miasma. Rev. Chilena. Infectol. [Internet]. 2018 Feb. 28 [cited 2025 Dec. 3];35(1). Available from: https://revinf.cl/index.php/revinf/article/view/26

Copyright (c) 2018 Carlos G. Osorio

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Abstract

The historical development of the terms “infection” and “miasma” is analyzed. Miasma was understood as a kind of corrupt or pestilent air that emanated from putrefactive bodies and spread infectious diseases. This concept was the dominant one to understand the cause of infectious diseases from antiquity to the dawn of the microbial theory. The concept of infection initially had a similar meaning to miasma, but is currently defined as the invasion of a host by an infectious agent. It will be discussed in this paper that both terms derive from the same original concept.
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