Final answer:
The theories of disease causation in historical medicine encompass the miasma, humoral, and germ theories, with the germ theory now being the established scientific basis for understanding how diseases are caused by microorganisms. Option B is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The different theories of disease causation in the history of medicine include the miasma theory, the humoral theory, and the germ theory of disease. The miasma theory suggested that diseases were caused by particles from decomposing matter, whereas the humoral theory, conceived by ancient Greeks like Hippocrates, posited that diseases were the result of an imbalance among the four bodily humors. The germ theory, solidified by the work of pioneers like Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch, proposed that microorganisms are responsible for causing many diseases and represented a major shift in medical understanding.
Germ theory is now recognized as the cornerstone of modern medical science, with the work of Semmelweis and Snow demonstrating the importance of sanitation, and the subsequent substantiation by Pasteur, Koch, and Lister that specific pathogens cause specific diseases.