Bartlett's let me down, so let's try LJ!

[pronker]

There is a quote: "Not illness, but health is the great mystery." This may not be the exact phrasing, but the gist is that we are surrounded by germs and yet we remain healthy for the most part. Would anyone know the exact quote and/or the source? Thank you.

Comments

[calzephyr77]

I gave it a quick Google without any luck! Will try again later.

[pronker]

Thanks!! :D

[full_metal_ox]

This may be a bit too recent for you, but:

“The question is fundamental. Why are we healthy in an environment of so many different bacteria?” Hisashi Koiwa asks.

(Note also that the source, circa 2010, focuses upon plant rather than human health--specifically why pathogens infect some plants while others remain unscathed: http://www.futurity.org/why-are-some-plants-pathogen-proof/)

[pronker]

Thanks for the swift reply and the link! It's fascinating ... true, I was thinking human health, but we are fellow living organisms so there must be a connection somehow with plants.

The quote looks like it's from a pioneer such as Pasteur or van Leeuwenhoek :/ *scratches head*

[full_metal_ox]

The quote looks like it's from a pioneer such as Pasteur or van Leeuwenhoek :/ *scratches head*

The two possibilities you mention suggest that the quote dates from an era when (at least scientifically informed) people had come to blame germs--rather than miasma or humors--for infectious disease. DO you remember if microbial organisms were specifically mentioned? I ask because it would help to narrow the time frame.

Finetuning ...

[pronker]

Microbes were not mentioned - it was a quote that may have used 'sickness' rather than 'illness' and it was quite short. It's such a simple phrase, too ... googling gets many things, but not a source or even a near match. :/