Essay on Isaac Newton and Enlightenment

Numerous people have made scientific discoveries and inventions that have had a lasting impact on the world. Without these contributions, the world could have never progressed into what it has become today. Society tends to take for granted the technological and medical advances that are available in today's modern world. While it can be said that every scientist's contributions helped pave the way to the modern world, there is no denying that some scientists have made a bigger impact than others. Alexander Fleming, Louis Pasteur, and Sir Isaac Newton made discoveries that would change the course of history. Fleming’s discovery that mold can kill bacteria, and Pasteur’s germ theory of disease would allow for millions of lives to be saved and life expectancy to rise. Sir Isaac Newton’s contributions to mathematics and optics would change the way people viewed the world and would even help to bring about the Age of Enlightenment. Without these men, the world as it is known today may have never existed. These three scientists undoubtedly made the most important contributions to the world that would ultimately allow for today's modern society.

Alexander Fleming made a hugely significant impact on the world of medicine when one of his petri dishes was contaminated. Before throwing out the petri dish, Fleming noticed that the mold growing on the petri dish was killing the bacteria that was also present. This chance event brought about the discovery of penicillin and eventually led to the development of the field of antibiotics. Before the discovery of penicillin, many people died from diseases and infections that could have been easily cured with a round of antibiotics. Diseases such as syphilis and bacterial pneumonia, and everyday injuries such as a cut on the hand or an infected tooth would likely have been a death sentence before penicillin. Numerous diseases and injuries that society does not give a second thought to in today’s world would have been a great cause for concern before the widespread use of antibiotics. The access to antibiotics to cure dangerous diseases and infections led to a higher life expectancy. In 1945 Fleming won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discovery. Although the contamination of the petri dish was accidental, Fleming was intelligent and observant enough to notice something that would change medicine forever. Fleming is undoubtedly one the most important scientists as his work led to millions of lives being saved.

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Similar to Alexander Fleming, Louis Pasteur’s work would go on to change medicine forever. Pasteur’s work in fermentation was controversial for his time. The idea that fermentation was caused by microorganisms put him at odds with the scientific community who believed that fermentation was caused by a chemical process, not a biological one. His work in fermentation inspired him to begin looking into the cause of diseases. He believed that, like fermentation, the disease was caused by microorganisms. The idea that life-threatening diseases could be caused by such tiny organisms did not seem plausible to the medical community who instead believed that disease was caused by environmental factors and poor personal habits. When livestock began dying at an alarming rate across Europe, Pasteur saw an opportunity to prove his germ theory of disease. Although many remained unconvinced, Pasteur ultimately proved that the disease plaguing European livestock was caused by the anthrax bacterium. Despite having many skeptics of his work, Pasteur’s germ theory of disease also gained many supporters and even inspired fellow scientists to use this theory to make improvements within medical practices. One such scientist was Joseph Lister. Lister, inspired by Pasteur’s germ theory of disease, began working on ways to lower postoperative mortality rates. At the time that Lister began working on this issue, one in two patients would die of postoperative infections. Lister’s solution was the use of carbolic acid during surgeries to kill bacteria. Lister’s use of antiseptics drastically lowered postoperative mortality rates and saved countless lives. The use of antiseptics would be the beginning of a surgical revolution that was largely inspired by Pasteur. Pasteur also helped save countless lives due to his work in immunology. In the 1790s Edward Jenner discovered that he could cure people suffering from smallpox by vaccinating them with cowpox, which was a much milder disease. By the time Pasteur began working on immunity through vaccination the only disease that had been treated through immunity was smallpox. Pasteur’s first success with vaccinations was with animals suffering from chicken cholera and anthrax, but he would soon turn his attention to curing humans suffering from rabies. Although rabies was a rare disease that only affected a small portion of the population each year, its horrific and painful symptoms led Pasteur to look for a cure through immunity. After Pasteur’s success with curing animals by injecting them with a diluted form of the disease, he eventually set his sights on curing humans of rabies. Despite the controversy surrounding his decision to vaccinate humans, on July 6, 1885, Pasteur got the opportunity to put his vaccination to the test when nine-year-old Joseph Meister was attacked by his dog. Over eleven days Joseph was injected with a series of increasingly stronger vaccines consisting of ground-up spinal cords from rabbits who had been afflicted with rabies. The cure was a success as the boy never started exhibiting symptoms of rabies. Soon numerous people who had been bitten by rabid animals would be coming to Pasteur for his vaccination. Pasteur’s germ theory of disease and use of vaccinations became more accepted as time went on and people realized the truth in what the scientist was trying to tell them. His germ theory of disease led to antiseptic and hygienic practices that would help to save lives. Although these practices have been modified over the years, antiseptics have become an integral part of surgical procedures. His work in immunology paved the way for the widespread use of vaccinations that we see today. Many diseases have been prevented, cured, or even completely eradicated through the use of vaccines. Like Fleming, his work would change medicine forever and go on to save millions of lives. There cannot be any doubt that he contributed greatly to our modern world.

One of the most influential and well-known scientists who contributed to our modern world is Sir Isaac Newton. Despite having lived centuries ago, today people young and old know his name, and for good reason. Newton’s use of the scientific method and discoveries in optics and mathematics would change how people viewed the world around them. In 1661 Newton started attending Cambridge where he would work as a servant to earn his keep. Although his mother had money, it is believed that she gave him little to no allowance. Newton, who became dissatisfied with how little curriculum had changed since the time of Aristotle, began shutting himself in his room where he would study a multitude of subjects and write down questions he wished to answer. In 1664 Newton was officially declared a scholar, but in 1665 he was forced to leave Cambridge for his home in Woolsthorpe due to an outbreak of the plague. It is here that Newton would create one of his most important inventions. Frustrated with Algebra and Geometry’s inability to answer complex questions such as the changing speed of a moving object, Newton came up with a new system of mathematics now called calculus. Calculus is still used in today’s modern society in everything from architecture to physics. Newton was eventually able to return to Cambridge where he began to focus his attention on optics. Unlike other scientists at the time, Newton believed that white light was composed of a multitude of colors and almost ruined his eyesight by staring at the sun in hopes of proving his theory. Hoping to help prove his theory of colors, in 1668 Newton began working on a reflecting telescope which, unlike refracting telescopes used at the time, used mirrors to magnify images. This reflecting telescope did indeed help prove his theory of colors and also helped to produce crisper images than that of the refracting telescope. Newton would also go on to inspire people and usher in the Age of Enlightenment. His use of the scientific method and his use of reason rather than tradition to question the world around him would inspire integral figures of the Age of Enlightenment, including the famous French writer Voltaire. Newton’s genius not only changed the world but also changed the way we evaluate the world around us, making him one of the most important scientists to have ever lived.

The works of Alexander Fleming, Louis Pasteur, and Isaac Newton helped change the world. Fleming and Pasteur’s medical innovations, which are still used today, helped to save millions of lives and increase life expectancy. Newton’s invention of calculus and the reflecting telescope are things that are still in use to this day, and his way of thinking has continued to inspire others to look at the world around them with a logical eye. There is no doubt that these three scientists were an integral part of shaping today’s modern world.