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During the late 1800s, many Europeans believed that human diseases were caused by poisonous vapors rising from rotting material that were capable of initiating disease in people who breathed them. Such vapors were known as

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During the late 1800s, Europeans believed that human diseases were caused by poisonous vapors known as miasma. This theory originated in ancient Greece and linked foul-smelling toxic vapors from decomposing matter to diseases. The miasma theory was replaced by the germ theory of disease in the late 1800s.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Europeans in the late 1800s believed that human diseases were caused by poisonous vapors rising from rotting material. These vapors, known as miasma, were thought to initiate disease in people who breathed them.

The miasma theory, which originated in ancient Greece, proposed that foul-smelling toxic vapors emanate from decomposing organic matter and sicken individuals who live near it. This theory was widely accepted until the late 1800s when the germ theory of disease, which linked diseases to microorganisms, became more widely recognized.

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