Rethinking bugs. Part 1

Bacteria seem to be getting mentioned everywhere at the moment, and could even be said to be 'trending'. In this first instalment of a two-part article, I begin by considering what we learn about bacteria as children and whether this matters. I note that Western science and medicine have focused almost exclusively on one viewpoint: that proposed by Louis Pasteur, and observe that there are other ideas and theories which may be worthy of consideration as we re-think this area. The re-thinking that seems to be a feature of our current focus on the role of bacteria in health and birth may have positive effects both for women and midwives.