Modern explanations for illness

Scientific research in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries revealed the significant influence of genetic factors on susceptibility to disease, alongside lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and smoking.
New understandings of genetics and the discovery of DNA in 1953, followed by the Human Genome Project in 1990–2003 led to a greater understanding of hereditary diseases and the fact that not all diseases are caused by microbes (i.e.some are inherited, such as Down’s Syndrome and cystic fibrosis).
The pharmaceutical industry developed rapidly in the twentieth century, enabling the mass production of effective medicines for a wide range of illnesses.
The emergence of new diseases, including viral infections and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, led to ongoing research and the development of new treatments.

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