THE DOCTOR WHO INFECTED HIMSELF WITH BACTERIA TO PROVE THEY CAUSED ULCERS

Most Ulcers Are Believed to be Caused by Bacterium Helicobacter Pylori and Treated with Antibiotics

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Your stomach hurts. It seems to get better when you drink milk or take some Maalox. You see your doctor who says it sounds like you may have gastritis or an ulcer. Surprisingly, he orders a blood test for something H. pylori. He explains it's a germ. What do "germs" have to do with a stomach ulcer?





Some years ago two Australian doctors proposed that ulcers were caused by germs, bacteria. In a phenomenon that has been repeated many times in science and medicine the "experts" laughed at them. For years physicians had primarily treated ulcers and gastritis with H2 blockers, drugs such as Pepcid, Zantac and Tagamet. They still treat gastritis and ulcers with H2 blockers but now they also use antibiotics.



This is due in no small measure to Dr.Barry Marshall an Australian physician who worked in the lab of a pathologist, Dr. Robin Warren, who had noticed that ulcers often contained bacteria and believed that the bacteria caused ulcers.

He Was Changing the World and the World Wasn't Noticing It

Read healty medical Blog about ulcer symptoms






Marshall became convinced that the pathologist was correct. When they presented their results, the medical community was underwhelmed by the idea and greeted them with scorn, a not uncommon event in the history of science and technology. Out of desperation in his efforts to prove that a bacteria could cause ulcers, Marshall drank a potion of helicobacter pylori. (By the way DO NOT TRY THIS IT'S VERY DANGEROUS)

Sydney Morning Herald About the Amazing Story of How Ulcer Causing Bacteria Were Discovered

What is an Ulcer

An ulcer is an erosion of the lining of the stomach or intestine. It may start as a gastritis or irritation and eventually erode the lining. H2 blockers such as TAGAMET, PEPCID, ZANTAC actually work to heal the gastritis or ulcer as opposed to just coating the surface. If an ulcer travels deeply it may actually break a blood vessel causing internal bleeding. The patient may notice that they are extremely weak or even collapse. This is a medical emergency.