--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Eradication of microbial disease is a…" description: "\"Eradication of microbial disease is a will-o'-the-wisp; pursuing it leads into a morass of hazy biological concepts and half truths.\" — Rene Dubos" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/rene-dubos-12577_concepts_eradication-of-microbial-disease-is-a-wi_2976358.png" --- # Eradication of microbial disease is a will-o'-the-wisp… ![“Eradication of microbial disease is a will-o'-the-wisp; pursuing it leads into a morass of hazy biological concepts and half truths.” quote by Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/rene-dubos-12577_concepts_eradication-of-microbial-disease-is-a-wi_2976358.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/rene-dubos-12577_concepts_eradication-of-microbial-disease-is-a-wi_2976358.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/rene-dubos-12577_concepts_eradication-of-microbial-disease-is-a-wi_2976358.png) > “Eradication of microbial disease is a will-o'-the-wisp; pursuing it leads into a morass of hazy biological concepts and half truths.” [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The pursuit of completely eradicating microbial disease is illusory, tangled in vague biology and half‑truths. **In simple terms:** Eradicating microbes is unrealistic and confusing. Key Takeaway Accept limits and focus on control. Themes science health uncertainty Mood cautious reflective Type analytical critical When to use this quote - public health policy - medical research - clinical practice Key Concepts microbiology epidemiology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What realistic goals can we set for disease control? - How do we balance optimism with scientific rigor? A Different Perspective Eradication may be impossible; focus on management. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concepts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concepts/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Disease Wisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease-wisp-4608545/) [Eradication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eradication/) [Eradication Microbial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eradication-microbial-4608544/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Half truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-truth/) [Half Truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-truths/) [Hazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hazy/) [Hazy Biological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hazy-biological-4608543/) [Microbial Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/microbial-disease-3429928/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Wisps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisps/) ## Related quotes > [“Okay, but what about microbial disease? “To declare war on ninety-nine percent of bacteria when less than one percent of them threaten our health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/okay-but-what-about-microbial-disease-to-declare-war-on-ninety-nine/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The year I was born, 1955, the first big disease-eradication program in the world was declared for malaria. 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Rakib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-rakib/) > [One of the things my dad and mom worked on throughout their lives was the eradication of poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/one-of-the-things-my-dad-and-mom-worked-on-throughout-their-lives-was/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [ \[AIDS \] is not a short-term emergency but it is something that, just like smallpox was many decades ago, we should aim for complete eradication. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/aids-is-not-a-short-term-emergency-but-it-is-something-that-just-like/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The world has been very careful to pick very few diseases for eradication, because it is very tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-world-has-been-very-careful-to-pick-very-few-diseases-for/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Polio's pretty special because once you get an eradication, you no longer have to spend money on it; it's just there as a gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/polio-s-pretty-special-because-once-you-get-an-eradication-you-no/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The Carter Center has the only existing international taskforce on disease eradication. Which means a total elimination of a disease on the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/the-carter-center-has-the-only-existing-international-taskforce-on/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) ## More by Rene Dubos > [... each type of civilization has had diseases peculiar to it and at each period the various social groups in any community also have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/each-type-of-civilization-has-had-diseases-peculiar-to-it-and-at-each/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) > [Human life implies adventure, and there is no adventure without struggles and dangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/human-life-implies-adventure-and-there-is-no-adventure-without/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) > [...Search for the cause may be a hopeless pursuit because most disease states are the indirect outcome of a constellation of circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/search-for-the-cause-may-be-a-hopeless-pursuit-because-most-disease/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) > [Each human being is unique, unprecedented, unrepeatable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/each-human-being-is-unique-unprecedented-unrepeatable/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) > [But too often the goal of the planners is a universal gray state of health corresponding to absence of disease rather than to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/but-too-often-the-goal-of-the-planners-is-a-universal-gray-state-of/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) > [With reference to life there is not one nature; there are only associations of states and circumstances, varying from place to place and from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/with-reference-to-life-there-is-not-one-nature-there-are-only/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) > [It is a disturbing fact that Western civilization, which claims to have achieved the highest standard of health in history, finds itself compelled to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/it-is-a-disturbing-fact-that-western-civilization-which-claims-to/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) > [There is a demon in technology. 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It takes all the running we can do to remain in the same place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/nature-always-strikes-back-it-takes-all-the-running-we-can-do-to/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) > [Men are naturally most impressed by diseases which have obvious manifestations, yet some of their worst enemies creep on them unobtrusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/men-are-naturally-most-impressed-by-diseases-which-have-obvious/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) [Explore all 54 Rene Dubos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) ## More Concepts quotes > [Capability is just a concept of what is it we're looking at. 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