The year was 1846, the city was London, and the death toll was 16,000 people. Just what was the cause of this massive loss of human life: it was a cholera epidemic cased by the improper disposal of waste.1 Today we know that raw sewage carries disease through tiny forms of life called microbes (i.e., bacteria and viruses). But 200 years ago, our knowledge of what caused infectious diseases and epidemics was truly pitiful.
Back in the fifth century B.C., Hippocrates offered his explanation of infectious disease and epidemics. He believed that epidemics were due to unfortunate weather conditions. He reasoned that the air could turn bad and that, since many people would breathe the same air, they would get sick. Since then, others have believed that the air arising from swamps or refuse heaps could also contribute to the spread of disease.
It was not until over 2,000 years later that men such as Louis Pasteur, a French chemist (1822-1895), and Robert Koch, a German bacteriologist (1843-1910) discovered the single most important medical discovery of all time: “The germ theory of disease.” They determined that very tiny organisms called germs were what caused diseases. It took scientists 2,000 years to fully disregard their old ways.
Sadly, even today in some places, especially in third world countries, people don’t understand how invisible germs can cause sickness and death. However, our old friend the Bible, while not explicitly telling us about bacteria and viruses, did give us the needed solution to combat infectious diseases.
In the case of sewage and waste the Old Testament shared its preventative wisdom as follows: “Also you shall have a place outside the camp, where you may go out; and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse.” (Deuteronomy 23:12-13).
According to Kyle Butt, in referring to the London epidemic: “More than 3,300 years before London’s epidemic, the Lord, through his servant Moses, implemented a plan to stop such epidemics before they started. Such tragedies as those that befell London could have been prevented if people simply had accepted God’s Word on the matter and observed the kind of hygiene that the Israelites had practiced so many years before. The fact is, Moses’ instructions could still be used to save lives today in countries all over the world that do not have running water or proper waste disposal.”2
I have often wondered why God didn’t explain the scientific explanation behind the diseases He gave the Israelites the cure for. Perhaps He knew at this stage of their scientific knowledge they wouldn’t be able to comprehend something invisible like a microbe. Or maybe, God wanted scientists at the proper time to discover what God had hidden for so long in order to show all of us that the Bible is always scientifically accurate, as well as way ahead of its time, thus proving the unfathomable foreknowledge of God. Or just maybe, God wanted His children to trust Him to follow His instructions, even if they didn’t understand why, because of their love for Him. If I had to guess all three of these explanations may have been behind God’s reasoning.
Once again science and the Bible are close companions in the quest for knowledge.