Final answer:
The germ theory of disease led to identifying pathogens, developing antiseptic surgery, discovery of antibiotics, and improving sanitation, all of which contributed significantly to reductions in infectious disease mortality rates.
Step-by-step explanation:
The germ theory of disease proposed that microorganisms are the cause of many diseases and its acceptance led to numerous beneficial systems and procedures. These include:
- Identifying numerous pathogens, where scientists such as Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur discovered disease-causing germs leading to vaccines that protected against cholera, anthrax, and rabies.
- Developing antiseptic surgery, with Joseph Lister introducing protocols using carbolic acid that dramatically lowered surgical infection rates.
- The discovery of antibiotics that occurred following the advancements in understanding of germs and disease.
- Significant improvements in sanitation which led to a reduction in contact with disease-causing organisms, and immunization practices that eradicated diseases like smallpox.
These advancements, together with other technological and scientific discoveries, played a crucial role in reducing deaths caused by infectious diseases by sixty percent by the end of the 19th century.