Microbiology
Microbiology studies micro-organisms, bacteria, yeasts, moulds and viruses, and their effects on living matter. In Dr Stone, it sheds light on food preservation, fermentation and the first battles against disease at the invisible scale.
Entries in this discipline
Antiseptic Alcohol
In The Apothecary Diaries, a distilled alcohol is called a highly effective disinfectant. We explain why ethanol kills germs, and at what concentration.
Drinking Water and Waterborne Diseases
Heat kills the bacteria, viruses and parasites behind cholera, typhoid and dysentery. How boiling works, the main waterborne diseases, and John Snow's discovery.
Honey and Infant Botulism
In The Apothecary Diaries, honey kills a baby. We explain infant botulism: why honey is forbidden before age one, and safe afterward.
Honey Preservation
Honey has preserved food for millennia. Here's why: low water activity, osmolarity, acidity, and hydrogen peroxide all work together to stop microbes.
Public Baths and Hygiene
Partly: communal hot baths clean and relax, but spread fungi and bacteria and can make blood pressure crash. What history and physiology show.
Quarantine and Isolation
In The Apothecary Diaries, a contagious patient is isolated. The history of quarantine, fomites, and isolation long before germs were understood.
Salting and Brining
In The Apothecary Diaries, Maomao dates a batch of seaweed using her knowledge of brining. We explain how salt preserves food, and why it eventually fails.
Syphilis
In The Apothecary Diaries, syphilis erases a courtesan's memories. We explain Treponema pallidum, the disease's phases, and neurosyphilis.
Food Smoking
Tsukasa smokes his meat in Dr Stone: we explain the chemistry of smoke, the role of aldehydes and phenols, and the modern health risks.