This Week In History: On July 6, 1885 Louis Pasteur successfully tested his rabies vaccine on Joseph Meister: a nine year old boy attacked by a rabid dog. Because of Louis Pasteur’s vaccine Joseph didn’t contract rabies which would have otherwise been fatal.
Louis Pasteur And His Study Of Bacteria
Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and biologist, began closely studying bacteria while investigating the cause of souring in milk and other drinks. This investigation led him to develop pasteurization: the process wherein a liquid is boiled and afterwards cooled to kill the bacteria that cause it to go bad.
Moving onto a more thorough study of bacteria, Pasteur proved bacteria occurred naturally in the environment. At the time, people believed bacteria appeared spontaneously.
Louis Pasteur Begins Work On Vaccines
Pasteur became the director of scientific studies at the Ecole Normale in Paris. At the Ecole Normale, Pasteur developed his germ theory which posited germs attack the body from the outside. Once he proved his theory right, Pasteur began work on vaccinations for several germ-borne diseases. These diseases included anthrax, tuberculosis, cholera, smallpox, and rabies.
Louis Pasteur Successfully Administers His Rabies Vaccine
On July 6, 1885 Pasteur administered his rabies vaccine to Joseph Meister, a nine year old boy attacked by a rabid dog. The boy not only survived but avoided contracting rabies.
At the time Pasteur did not hold a license in medicine. Had his vaccine failed, the most likely outcome would have been prosecution for Pasteur. However, because the vaccine was a success he became a national hero instead.
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Info Source: Wired.com
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
