--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To gastroenterologists, the concept of a…" description: "\"To gastroenterologists, the concept of a germ causing ulcers was like saying that the Earth is flat.\" — Barry Marshall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/barry-marshall-28295_causing_to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a_1088826.jpg" --- # To gastroenterologists, the concept of a germ causing… ![“To gastroenterologists, the concept of a germ causing ulcers was like saying that the Earth is flat.” quote by Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/barry-marshall-28295_causing_to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a_1088826.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/barry-marshall-28295_causing_to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a_1088826.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/barry-marshall-28295_causing_to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a_1088826.jpg) > “To gastroenterologists, the concept of a germ causing ulcers was like saying that the Earth is flat.” [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The idea that ulcers are caused by germs was once as absurd as believing the Earth is flat. **In simple terms:** Germ theory of ulcers was once dismissed. Key Takeaway Question assumptions with evidence. Themes science paradigm shift medical discovery Mood critical inquisitive Type scientific historical When to use this quote - medical research - clinical practice - public health policy Key Concepts Microbiology skepticism Questions to Reflect On - What entrenched ideas need re‑examining? - How can evidence overcome bias? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched beliefs can meet strong resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Causing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causing/) [Causing Ulcers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causing-ulcers-2804582/) [Concept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concept/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Gastroenterologists Concept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gastroenterologists-concept-2804584/) [Germ Causing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/germ-causing-2804585/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/) [Ulcers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ulcers/) [Ulcers Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ulcers-like-2804583/) ## Related quotes > [The poor think they will be happy when they become rich. The rich think they will be happy when they are rid of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/the-poor-think-they-will-be-happy-when-they-become-rich-the-rich/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [The seals stupidly dive off rocks into swirling black water, barking mindlessly. The zookeepers feed them dead fish. A crowd gathers around the tank,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/the-seals-stupidly-dive-off-rocks-into-swirling-black-water-barking/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [Ulcers come from not dealing with something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-densmore/ulcers-come-from-not-dealing-with-something/) [John Densmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-densmore/) > [You don't get ulcers from what you eat. You get them from what's eating you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/you-don-t-get-ulcers-from-what-you-eat-you-get-them-from-what-s/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [When I was 14, my mother died. My father, who had always had ulcers, came apart. He had a series of intestinal operations, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-bedelia/when-i-was-14-my-mother-died-my-father-who-had-always-had-ulcers-came/) [Bonnie Bedelia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-bedelia/) > [Bleeding ulcers run in my family, we give them to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/bleeding-ulcers-run-in-my-family-we-give-them-to-each-other/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [...men in fear and hunger destroy their stomachs in the fight to secure certain food, where men hungering for love destroy everything lovable about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/men-in-fear-and-hunger-destroy-their-stomachs-in-the-fight-to-secure/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I received a card the other day from Steve Early which said, "Don't Worry Me--I am an 8 Ulcer Man on 4 Ulcer Pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/i-received-a-card-the-other-day-from-steve-early-which-said-don-t/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Colds, ulcers, flu, and cancer are things we get. Schizophrenia is something we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/colds-ulcers-flu-and-cancer-are-things-we-get-schizophrenia-is/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [A coach can't be concerned with the poor ballplayer. If the player can't make it, he's got to be out right away. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcnally/a-coach-can-t-be-concerned-with-the-poor-ballplayer-if-the-player-can/) [John McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcnally/) > [My bones are brittle, my heart weak and erratic, my esophagus and stomach riddled with ulcers, my reproductive system shot, my immune system useless...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/my-bones-are-brittle-my-heart-weak-and-erratic-my-esophagus-and/) [Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/) > [One of the lowest points in my life was when I was diagnosed and combated with severe ulcerative colitis which is severe ulcers in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-assaraf/one-of-the-lowest-points-in-my-life-was-when-i-was-diagnosed-and/) [John Assaraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-assaraf/) > [ \[Electronic newspapers will bring\] plenty of ulcers for journalists because they'll have new deadlines every 60 seconds. It'll be a race to file. On… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-wilcox/electronic-newspapers-will-bring-plenty-of-ulcers-for-journalists/) [Russ Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-wilcox/) > [R is a velocity of measure, defined as a reasonable speed of travel that is consistent with health, mental well-being, and not being more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/r-is-a-velocity-of-measure-defined-as-a-reasonable-speed-of-travel/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Ugliness is a point of view; an ulcer is wonderful to a pathologist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/ugliness-is-a-point-of-view-an-ulcer-is-wonderful-to-a-pathologist/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) ## More by Barry Marshall > [In high school I had B's and C's, not too many A's, but I must have done well on that medical school test, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/in-high-school-i-had-b-s-and-c-s-not-too-many-a-s-but-i-must-have/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [I was hoping I was going to get an ulcer. I was hoping to boost my research career by developing a bleeding ulcer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/i-was-hoping-i-was-going-to-get-an-ulcer-i-was-hoping-to-boost-my/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [Dad always explained the car engine when he repaired it, and he had many technical books, so I was making electromagnets by age eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/dad-always-explained-the-car-engine-when-he-repaired-it-and-he-had/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [If you say you are the Safe Food Foundation, that means you're implying that your food is safer or that every other bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/if-you-say-you-are-the-safe-food-foundation-that-means-you-re/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [In medical school, it's quite possible to get taught that you can diagnose everybody and treat everything. But then you get out in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/in-medical-school-it-s-quite-possible-to-get-taught-that-you-can/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [I was born in 1951 in Kalgoorlie, a prosperous mining town 370 miles east of Perth, Western Australia. Kalgoorlie was a gold rush town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/i-was-born-in-1951-in-kalgoorlie-a-prosperous-mining-town-370-miles/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [It was so frustrating to see ulcer patients having surgery, or even dying, when I knew a simple antibiotic treatment could fix the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/it-was-so-frustrating-to-see-ulcer-patients-having-surgery-or-even/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [If humans evolved in a tiny area of Africa, they only saw plants and animals within a 100-kilometre radius for a million years. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/if-humans-evolved-in-a-tiny-area-of-africa-they-only-saw-plants-and/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [My mother was a nurse, and in her era, most diseases weren't understood; people put mustard plasters on knees and rubbed camphor on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/my-mother-was-a-nurse-and-in-her-era-most-diseases-weren-t-understood/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [The politics have always been difficult in medicine. There is some truth in the way medical practice is portrayed in TV dramas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/the-politics-have-always-been-difficult-in-medicine-there-is-some/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [You can always find stress in someone's life if you want to. You ask a few questions, and eventually, it's, 'Yes, I admit, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/you-can-always-find-stress-in-someone-s-life-if-you-want-to-you-ask-a/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [The 20th-century ulcer epidemic was a sign of good health in American people - good diet, strong acidity and healthy immune response actually make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/the-20th-century-ulcer-epidemic-was-a-sign-of-good-health-in-american/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [I am told by others that I have a lateral-thinking, broad approach to problems, sometimes to my detriment. In school, my grades always suffered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/i-am-told-by-others-that-i-have-a-lateral-thinking-broad-approach-to/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [There is no other prize in any country that carries the prestige that a Nobel bestows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/there-is-no-other-prize-in-any-country-that-carries-the-prestige-that/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) > [My favourite book as a child was an old 'Newne's Children's Encyclopaedia' which my grandfather had bought just before World War II and donated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/my-favourite-book-as-a-child-was-an-old-newne-s-children-s/) [Barry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) [Explore all 19 Barry Marshall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/) ## More Causing quotes > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. 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My initial associations were with pomegranates in old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ori-gersht/pomegranate-started-with-my-imagining-a-bullet-going-through-the/) [Ori Gersht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ori-gersht/) > [What happens when the one who used to take away all your pain is now the one causing it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/what-happens-when-the-one-who-used-to-take-away-all-your-pain-is-now/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [We can either continue to collectively stand on the sidelines and debate what is causing autism and if it is an epidemic or we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-mccarthy/we-can-either-continue-to-collectively-stand-on-the-sidelines-and/) [Jenny McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-mccarthy/) > [Even when they're not causing injury, human-controlled cars are often driven inefficiently, ineptly, antisocially, or in other ways additive to the sum of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-chatfield/even-when-they-re-not-causing-injury-human-controlled-cars-are-often/) [Tom Chatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-chatfield/) > [When you're making art, there's a lot of self-importance attached to that, but at the end of the day, you can always fall back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-berger/when-you-re-making-art-there-s-a-lot-of-self-importance-attached-to/) [Glen Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-berger/) > [You simply cannot blame anyone or anything for causing you to be, think or respond in a certain way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-sylver/you-simply-cannot-blame-anyone-or-anything-for-causing-you-to-be/) [Marshall Sylver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-sylver/) > [“Coffee has also been blamed for causing what Lewin called "an excessive state of brain‑excitation which becomes manifest by a remarkable loquaciousness sometimes accompanied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/coffee-has-also-been-blamed-for-causing-what-lewin-called-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Vietnam War was causing people to get drafted; I had received a deferment to finish my undergraduate education, and in order to continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shapiro/the-vietnam-war-was-causing-people-to-get-drafted-i-had-received-a/) [Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shapiro/) > [“But that's the problem with causing offense, isn't it? You don't always know when you do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-donnelly/but-that-s-the-problem-with-causing-offense-isn-t-it-you-don-t-always/) [Gabrielle Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-donnelly/) > [“Jabberwocky, causing serious mayhem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buckley/jabberwocky-causing-serious-mayhem/) [Michael Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buckley/) > [Every night I ask God why don't you see the pain your causing us...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-rivera/every-night-i-ask-god-why-don-t-you-see-the-pain-your-causing-us/) [Maria Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-rivera/) > [The Muslims have, as everyone else says, the right to practice their religion and they have the right to construct a mosque at ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-muslims-have-as-everyone-else-says-the-right-to-practice-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 74 Causing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To gastroenterologists, the concept of a germ causing ulcers was like saying that the Earth is flat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barry Marshall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a-germ-causing-ulcers-was-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Causing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a-germ-causing-ulcers-was-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/barry-marshall-28295_causing_to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a_1088826.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/barry-marshall-28295_causing_to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a_1088826.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/barry-marshall-28295_causing_to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a_1088826.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To gastroenterologists, the concept of a germ causing ulcers was like saying that the Earth is flat.” — Barry Marshall", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Barry Marshall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-marshall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To gastroenterologists, the concept of a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a-germ-causing-ulcers-was-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-marshall/to-gastroenterologists-the-concept-of-a-germ-causing-ulcers-was-like/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```