Miasma theory stated that disease was spread by miasmas, an outdated word that essentially means “bad air” or night air.

瘴气理论认为，疾病是通过瘴气传播的，瘴气是一个旧式用词，它主要意思是“糟糕的空气”或“暮色”。

One of the oldest and most commonly held beliefs about the spread of disease was a practice known as “miasma theory.”

关于疾病的传播，最古老和最普遍持有的信念之一是一种被称为“瘴气理论”的东西。

Miasma theory was one of those things you sometimes hear about in history and they sound so screwy you almost can't believe people actually thought it was real.

瘴气理论是你有时会在历史上听到的那些听起来很奇怪的东西之一，你几乎无法相信人们真的认为它是真的。

Not long before the Crimean War, miasma theory had become so widely accepted that the British government actually approved a plan to drain sewage into drinking water, because that would be less harmful than letting it pong on the surface.

在克里米亚战争前不久，瘴气理论被广泛接受，以至于英国政府批准了一项将污水排入饮用水的计划，因为这样比让污水在地面上散发更无害。