The coronavirus pandemic is the most disruptive and deadly event of the 21st century, grinding the world economy to a halt for months and causing the deaths of millions. Virologists now have the crucial task of determining the origins of this novel disease.

Experts say, however, that finding the source of the original contagion will be difficult. Political, social and practical hurdles stymie all efforts to find a conclusive source for the virus.

Discovering the source of an outbreak is one of the most important challenges for doctors and researchers alike. Sometimes, these academics have to take radical measures to prove their theories. These measures may sometimes include experimenting on themselves.

Today, you’ll learn about the background of one of the most controversial but important scientific discoveries: the true cause of stomach ulcers. But before that, let’s discuss the importance of disease research.

Why is Disease Research Important?

Researching diseases helps prevent outbreaks from getting worse. From laboratories and universities around the world, private and public organizations pour countless hours of their time and precious resources into looking at the origins of diseases. They use sophisticated methods, such as drug discovery through PROTAC, bacterial gene sequencing and new disciplines, such as forensic virology, to trace the development of pathogens.

This endless chain of research is crucial to the well-being of the general population. Research helps create a framework for public policy that can help stem the spread of diseases. People can use research to fight disinformation, such as logically demolishing arguments against wearing masks.

Finding the origins of a disease also helps synthesize cures for it. Thanks to the work of forensic virologists and gene analysis experts, researchers were able to determine that the COVID-19 virus shared plenty of traits with the previous SARS virus outbreak. Because of their work, companies were able to manufacture lifesaving vaccines much faster than possible.

The Mystery of Ulcers

As previously established, determining the origins of a disease is vital in creating effective cures and saving lives. Medical misconceptions about the true origins of diseases can result in poor treatment and even heartbreaking deaths. One of the largest medical misconceptions of the 20th century had something to do with stomach ulcers.

Stomach ulcers are painful open sores that erupt on the lining of your stomach. If untreated, an ulcer can lead to discomfort or pain in the stomach, bouts of vomiting and even further infection. Another complication involves the stomach’s digestive acids seeping into the body through the open wound. The ulcer, in most serious cases, can deteriorate the stomach lining so much that perforation occurs. This can lead to bloody vomiting.

Before a bold scientific discovery, medical experts were under the impression that stomach ulcers were not due to any bacterial agent but by stress. They believed that psychosomatic reactions were the culprit behind these ulcers. A psychosomatic reaction, by definition, is when the body unconsciously reflects the state of mind.

This led to doctors prescribing people with ulcers anything from a few days’ rest to sedatives to calm them down. As expected, these treatments were not effective.

The Scientist and the Gastroenterologist

Doctors might have gone on to continue prescribing patients suffering from ulcers with holidays if it weren’t for the efforts of two academics.

The first was an Australian scientist named Neil Noakes and the second was a gastroenterologist by the name of Barry Marshall. For years, there had been theories that the real cause of ulcers was a bacterial agent. There were, however, few efforts to fully confirm these theories so there were no solid treatments for ulcers.

This all ended one fateful day in 1984. Neil Noakes and Barry Marshall agreed that they needed to do something about this problem. Noakes went to work by putting a bacterial sample into some warmed beef extract to help them grow. After a few minutes, he gave the bacteria-rich liquid to Marshall, who promptly drank it down.

Self-experimentation is one of the biggest taboos in the scientific community. Thanks to his gamble, though, Marshall conclusively proved that ulcers were due to acute gastritis brought on by bacterial infection.

In a few days after ingesting the liquid, Marshall was exhibiting all the classic signs of a serious ulcer. The symptoms went away after he took some antibiotics.

The work of Noakes and Marshall helped steer the medical community away from ineffective treatments to actually curing the disease. In 2005, Barry Marshall was awarded a Noble Peace Prize for his work.

The provenance of a disease reveals so much about its nature, which is crucial in coming up with cures and effective ways to deal with them. Learning more about them and supporting their work can be what helps prevent the next novel virus.