AntiViral Ep. 12: The Bacteriophage Debate Behind Virology

The Debate That Built the “Virus” Model After exploring the origin of the “virus” concept in the 11th episode of AntiViral, episode 12 examines the creation of the “virus” model. In the early 20th century, “viruses” were defined largely in negative terms. They were considered: Defining “viruses” in negative terms reflected the inability of early scientists to observe or manipulate the presumed entities… Continue reading AntiViral Ep. 12: The Bacteriophage Debate Behind Virology

The “Virus” Model

I recently went through the origins of the “virus” concept that was born in the late 1800s by pseudoscientific evidence generated for Tobacco Mosaic “Virus” (TMV) and Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). It was abundantly clear that, at the time of the creation of the “virus” concept, there was (and still is) no direct evidence that these pathogenic entities… Continue reading The “Virus” Model