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Dr Michael Mosley explores our earliest attempts to tackle infection and how scientists, chemists and doctors from Louis Pasteur to Howard Florey helped us win the battle.

Infection can take over the entire human body, and if our immune systems aren't strong enough we will die - in fact, infectious disease has regularly wiped out millions of people across the planet. Dr Michael Mosley explores our earliest attempts to tackle infection and reveals the moment we began to harness the power of microbes to fight back. This is the story of how scientists, chemists and doctors helped us win the battle, from Louis Pasteur to Howard Florey, and how a small team of dedicated men and women wiped out one of mankind's deadliest diseases - smallpox.

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1 hour

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Music Played

  • Muse

    The Orion Arm

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Michael Mosley
Producer Ben Crichton
Director Ben Crichton
Series Producer Steve Crabtree
Executive Producer Tina Fletcher-Hill

Broadcasts

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Find out more on Infection, Poison and Managing long term health conditions with the Open University

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