After these experiments (and many more like them) failed to prove the transmissibility of influenza (and other infectious diseases such as measles, chicken pox and Scarlet Fever), virology became all but obsolete and was forgotten about for over a decade until John Enders landmark study in 1954. In this experiment, Enders claimed he isolated the measles virus, breathing new life in to the field of virology. However, upon closer examination of Enders’ methodology, it is plain to see that his claims of viral isolation are based upon shaky unscientific methodology and assumptions. Rather than isolating an actual viral particle, Enders exposed kidney cells to unfavourable conditions in a petri dish, by adding in toxic substances (such as antibiotics, antifungals, animal blood, trypsin) and starving the cells. When the cells died, he claimed it was due to a virus and pointed at indiscriminate particles under a microscope, claiming they were the “virus”. These particles were never isolated and exposed to a healthy host and shown to cause disease. To this day, this process is considered the “gold standard” of virus isolation and is considered proof that viruses cause disease