Happy Birthday, Louis Pasteur

Today is Louis Pasteur’s birthday.  He was born in 1822 in Dole, France and is best known for inventing pasteurization.  

Did you know that he also contributed to findings with germ theory?  His additional research helped to create the anthrax and rabies vaccines as well as TB and cholera vaccines. 

All this is impressive considering he grew up in a poor family with a father who was a tanner. In addition, he was just an average student in grammar school.  Pasteur was more interested in fishing and sketching in those years.  He actually turned out to be exceptional at drawing and painting.

He did get a bachelor’s degree in the arts and in science.  In 1847, at the age of 25, he got a doctorate from the Ecole Normale in Paris. Once he was appointed professor of chemistry and dean of science at the University of Lille his research began.

At this time Pasteur showed that bacterias could sour beer, wine and milk. Based on this knowledge he came up with a process to boil the bacteria and cool it down.  This is the process known as pasteurization.  His first test was in April of 1862, 160 years ago.

In 1865 he helped save the silk industry by preventing a disease that harmed the silk cocoons.This was followed by his first vaccine in 1879 to help with chicken cholera. His true fame came when he cured a 9-year-old-boy bitten by a rabid dog with his rabies vaccine.

Unfortunately, during the time of his research and discoveries he was partially paralyzed with a brain stroke in 1868.  His research did continue but by his 70th birthday his paralysis overtook him so all his research came to an end.  He passed away at the age of 73 in 1895.

Private Home Health Care follows the Pasteur Institute in France.  It is a private, non-profit international research facility that strives to continue research in important areas of science to continue the legacy of Louis Pasteur.

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