The Contribution of Louis Pasteur to the Science Field

Chicken pox, pasteurization, rabies and silk germs are all deadly diseases that are fatal and life threatening, but who discovered and/ or cured them. That man is louis Pasteur. Louis Pasteur is a French biologist born on the 27 December 1822 in Dion, France. His work in the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization is outstanding and has saved millions of lives from germs and bugs. Life without him would be extremely different and more dangerous. In this essay I’ll explain why Louis Pasteur’s work was so vital and how life was before and after his discovery.

Louis Pasteur had a very humble upbringing, coming from general education he was passionate for singing and art; like many other young kids are. However going into his teen years he realised where his true passion was, in science and more specifically biology. In 1838, Louis went to college to graduate as a science teacher. He earned degrees in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. After university he became a professor at the university of Strasbourg. While at the University he fell in love with the daughter of the university's rector, Marie Laurent. They married each other in 1849. They had five children, unfortunately three died young from typhoid fever. The deaths of his children made him very committed to investigate infectious diseases in order to find a cure, so his children wouldn’t have died due to typhoid.

In 1854, Pasteur was made professor of chemistry and dean of the science laboratory at the University of Lille. There, he was finding solutions to the problems with the process of making alcoholic drinks. using the germ theory, which Pasteur did not invent but only developed through experiments and convinced most of Europe of its truth, he proved that organisms such as bacteria were responsible for souring wine, beer and even milk. He then invented a process where bacteria could be removed by boiling and then cooling liquid. He completed the first test on April 20, 1862. Today the process is known as pasteurization. This was a major breakthrough in biology and made him one of the most known biologists of his era. The process has been adapted to an industrial scale, but is still used today.

Changing his research in 1865, he wanted to save the silk industry. He proved that microbes were destroying silkworm eggs, causing a not yet discovered disease, and that the disease would be eradicated if the microbes were eliminated. He eventually developed a process to prevent their contamination and it was soon used by silk producers throughout the world, saving the silk industry. Pasteur's first vaccine discovery was in 1879, with a disease called chicken cholera. After exposing chickens to the reduced form of the disease, he showed that they became resistant to the virus. Pasteur went on to extend his germ theory to develop reasons and vaccinations for diseases such as anthrax, cholera, TB and smallpox.

In 1882, he was accepted into the Académie de Médecine. After this he decided to focus his efforts on the situation of rabies. On July 6, 1885, Pasteur tried to cure Joseph Meister, a 9-year-old boy who had been attacked and infected by a rabid dog. 3 months and three days later the boy was reported to be in excellent condition and completely danger free from rabies. This was the first ever cure to rabies tested on a human. By the next year he had treated over 350 patients from Europe, Asia and Russia and was on track for more. The success of Pasteur's vaccination brought him immediate fame and hope that rabies could be overcome like many of the other diseases that he cured in his professional career. Life before louis Pasteur’s work was a lot different. In just eating you were exposing yourself to a multitude of deadly diseases. After his discovery people felt a lot more safe in every aspect of life. Not only lifesaving Louis Pasteur’s findings helped the dying silk industry, that was being attacked by harmful bugs and diseases. Not only the safety of products but safety from animals that carry diseases. People felt a lot more safe around animals that weren’t theirs after his vaccination of rabies.

Today Louis Pasteur is known as one of the most significant scientists in history. His findings led to an understanding of microbes and diseases that has assisted to save millions of lives. His work still goes on today in the Pasteur Institute made in 1887, which is one of the world leaders in finding cures for infectious diseases. Pasteur also found himself under unlucky illnesses and was partially paralyzed since 1868 due to a stroke. However he was lucky to be able to carry on his research and save more lives despite his condition. Luckily he was able to celebrate his 70th birthday at the Sorbonne. This was attended by many prominent scientists. Unfortunately his condition worsened and he died on 28 September 1895. His body was buried in Notre Damn Cathedral in France.

In Conclusion. Louis Pasteur’s work was seen as one of the most useful and life saving of any scientist ever. His work can’t be understated and he defied his condition to save the lives of millions more. He carried on finding new cures 30 years after his stroke and proved that courage and commitment will help you in bad situations. Louis Pasteur never retired which makes his career even more outstanding. He will forever be remembered for his work, as the effects of his work still go on today.