Louis Pasteur’s influence on understanding diseases is unparalleled in all of history. He died on the 28th of September 1895. He was an innovative chemist, microbiologist. He was a revolutionary chemist and microbiologist. His work has made science and medicine so advanced that his name is on 30 institutions, many streets, schools and hospitals. He began his career as a student at the Besancon Royal College, earning a Bachelor of Sciences degree. In a teacher college he obtained both his Master of Science and his Doctorate. After a short time, he began teaching chemistry at the university.
His first contribution was the molecular asymmetry. This discovery, however, has no connection to the book’s topic. This discovery was based around the fact that different crystals in chemical compounds have different reactions to polarized sunlight. The discovery is fascinating and complex. It would be impossible to explain but is well worth investigating. The Germ Theory of Fermentation was Dr Pasteur’s very first discovery in relation to the prevention of disease. This amazing discovery was made by Dr Pasteur while he was working in Dean’s science faculty as a university chemist. He had been asked to assist local brewers with alcohol production problems in their local distillery. In order to understand the process of fermentation, he started a thorough research. In 1857, he made an astonishing discovery which led to his study of butyric and lactic acids. In 1857 he traveled to Paris with these discoveries to be the manager of Ecole Normale Superieure, but also to present a revolutionary theory. He provided evidence showing that fragmentation occurs due to microorganisms. Each liquid fermentable has a unique one. These evidences allowed the Germ Theory Of Fermentation be quickly accepted by the scientific communities.
Pasteur continued to explore the fermentation process. He discovered in his research that fermentation was only possible without oxygen. In order to differentiate between organisms which could live with oxygen and those that could not, Pasteur created the terms anaerobic (without oxygen) and aerobic (with oxygen). Pasteur then proposed that these anaerobic microbial organisms caused the spoilage. With his discoveries, Pasteur would prevent the French wine and alcohol industries from becoming contaminated. Napoleon III, the French Emperor, would later request that he study alcohol contamination. He would find a method that is still used today. The wine was contaminated by bacteria, which he identified when studying the problem. To prevent further wine contamination, he decided the solution would be to heat the wines to between 55 and 60 Celsius (130 to 140 Fahrenheit), then quickly cool them. He knew that bacteria would not be able to survive a rapid change. Pasteurization is the name of this process. Pasteurization is still being used today to prevent the spread of pathogenic agents in liquids.
Louis Pasteur tried to disprove this theory after his huge success. According to this theory, both putrefaction and fermentation occur spontaneously. Pasteur decided to stop the debates that would occur if this theory continued. He felt it was a waste of time for scientists and naturalists to have pointless arguments about the subject. In order solve the dilemma, Pasteur decided to perform a simple experimental procedure. He poured some beef broth into a flask equipped with a long neck which traps contaminated particles. He then broke the neck of flask, which exposed it to air. As it was exposed to normal conditions and was exposed in the open air it began showing signs of bacteria contamination. The discovery was a major breakthrough in the pasteurization of food products. It was a way to ensure that the product was safe for consumption. Pasteur made more discoveries in medicine. Pasteur became a household name after his discovery. Former students and friends, as well silkworm growers, sought out Pasteur to help them during the silkworm emergency. The crisis was caused by a mysterious disease which caused eggs to be destroyed or silkworms die before they produce silk. This had spread throughout Europe and brought the continent to its knees. The call was made to him despite his lack of knowledge about silkworms. The next 5 years would be dedicated to his investigation. He noticed the disease started with a mature female moth that was laying diseased eggs. The farmers were instructed to look for specific globules in the blood and skin of the month to determine if it was the cause. Any globules found on the moth should be removed as quickly as they could. But this did not work. Healthy moths would still produce diseased egg. In order to find a remedy, he went back to work. He found worms with and without globules. He spent months researching and discovered a second illness with a completely different globule. With this information, he was able to eradicate the moth disease. It was more important that he discovered the way a sick moth could transmit the second illness to a healthy moth if the two ate the leaves together. The worms’ habitat also allowed the disease to thrive. Humans also took more precautions to prevent diseases from spreading.
This case also inspired Pasteur to devote so much time and effort to the study of infectious diseases and their treatment. This experience, along with the fermentation experimentation, is also often cited for inspiring the germ theory. The germ theory is very similar to that of fermentation. It basically states that all diseases are caused by a microorganism. The academy of medicine rejected Pasteur’s germ theory during the 1970s. They preferred the miasma theories or other alternative theories which were more idealistic. Pasteur’s theory would not be proven by a deviation from the academy members, but rather by a creation that is still in use today. He created one of the very first effective vaccines. His first vaccine was against chicken cholera. The discovery was made after observing that the cultures in the lab of the microorganisms responsible for the disease had lost their tenacity, but still retained the reduced characteristics over several generations. He injected chickens, first with a weaker form of illness, and then with its natural form. This showed that the chickens were immune. This showed the germ theory to be correct. The chickens being immune made it so that the microorganisms could not survive inside the body. Then he focused on anthrax. Robert Koch also announced that he had isolated and discovered the anthrax Bacillus, the causant for the anthrax disease. Pasteur confirmed the validity of these findings. Following these experiments, he provided evidence that the Bacillus was responsible for the entire disease. He did this by injecting bacillus bacteria into healthy lambs and observing the way the disease manifested and how it was contracted by the previously-healthy sheep. Combining these with other evidence Koch presented about the lifecycle anthrax provided forced medicine into accepting the germ theory. It also led to the abandonment of the Miasma disease theory. In addition to removing all doubts that germ theory was incorrect, he also started working on an anthrax vaccine. To make the anthrax virus less dangerous, he first had to determine what was weakening it. The farmers’ financial support enabled 70-80 farm animals to be successfully immunized against the disease. Pasteur would inject the natural form bacillus into normal and immune sheep. After two weeks, the normal sheep all died. All vaccinated and healthy sheep showed no anthrax symptoms. It was conclusive proof that the anthrax was caused by a microorganism and vaccines are effective (despite what some modern politicians and parent unions believe). Pasteur spent a large part of his career investigating the origins of these microorganisms, making him a pioneer in pathology. It is worth researching his research, even though it does not relate to the book.
After completing his studies on the origins and types of organisms, he decided to create a vaccine against rabies. The disease was so terrible that it became a horror in rural areas. It caused muscle pain, fever, hallucinations and fear. There was also a coma. Pasteur was faced with a microbe that was too small to be detected by a microscope. This meant he needed to come up with new methods. He first tried to create a sample that was stable by exposing it to several rabbits. When he thought he’d created a stable version, he dried the spinal chords of infected rabbits. But he didn’t realize that he had in fact neutralized the virus. Inactivated vaccines use viruses, microorganisms or bacteria that have been grown on culture and then destroyed to induce immunity. There are different opinions on if Pasteur was aware of this. Some sources say he knew it later, while others believe it happened by accident. Others think it’s a coincidence. It doesn’t matter if Pasteur knew or didn’t know what he was doing. He proved it on July 6, 1885 when a person survived and cured rabies. Pasteur knew from his contacts in Paris that a 9 year old boy named Joseph Meister was suffering early symptoms of rabies after being bitten. Pasteur would then inject his creation in large quantities every day for 1 or 2 weeks. The vaccine worked, and the child recovered almost immediately. It was difficult because Pasteur, Koch and other scientists did not understand that rabies could be caused by bacteria. It is non-living because it does not meet the criteria of scientific communities for growing and reproducing. Willem Beijerinck was the first to use this term in 1892. Pasteur had a microscope that was too large for it, so it neutralized it instead of weakening it. Pasteur died at the age 72 due to paralysis.
Pasteur’s discoveries and innovations led to many implications in his work. He had the most impact in society by preventing diseases. Pasteur was the first to create vaccines for diseases. At the time, there were no other ways to prevent diseases than to avoid physical contact. The vaccines were the greatest legacy of Pasteur, as they saved many lives that otherwise would have been lost. Many children were vaccinated because no one suspected that vaccines caused autism or had any negative effects.
His legacy to society included the development of many new methods in microorganism and vaccine research. They are still being used to create vaccines and investigate microorganisms. This institution, which bears the name of his father, would use and teach. Also, he represents the beginnings of a new generation of prevention.
Louis Pasteur was so important to society that he was buried at Notre Dame Cathedral and was awarded the Legion of Honour. A newspaper article was published to commemorate his death, an honor that was only given to kings and queens and members of the high society. Pasteur deserves to be credited for his perseverance in medicine. The reality is that he never accepted defeat. Although his achievements are described as being his successes, these contributions were made after he tried and failed. Others would have just given up. He spent five years trying to solve the problem of silkworm disease, for example. Many would have quit after the first failure. In his lifetime, he talked to those who believed that the miasma theory was true or that diseases occurred by chance. It is worth learning more about him.