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ADDeviant-again t1_jae6wg7 wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in [eli5] Black plaque was not exactly cured, how did it just disappear from Europe in 1353? by Linzold

Just by observation.

Even without germ theory per se, back as far as ancient China, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, people could tell that exposure to SOMETHING caused disease. Night air? The moon? Miasma? Insect bites?

Keeping the sick away from everybody else, and noting that people got sick around sick people doesn't require the direct knowledge that micro-organisms are responsible.

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