Louis Pasteur was a French scientist who lived from 1822 to 1895 and is considered one of the greatest scientists of the 19th century. He made groundbreaking discoveries in microbiology and immunology that have saved millions of lives. Some of his key accomplishments included discovering that microorganisms cause fermentation and disease, developing the germ theory of disease, and inventing the technique of pasteurization. He also conducted experiments disproving the theory of spontaneous generation and developed the first vaccines for anthrax and rabies. Pasteur's work laid the foundation for many fields of science and modern medicine.

1. Louis Pasteur By Dhairya Nagpal

2. "Imagination should give wings to our thoughts, but we always need decisive experimental proof.” These are the famous words of Louis Pasteur who was one of the greatest scientists of the nineteenth century.

3. Born in France in 1822, Louis Pasteur became a scientific giant, laying the foundation for several branches of science.

4. Pasteur is known as the father of microbiology and immunology; surprisingly, however, he began his career by studying the shapes of organic crystals.

5. Pasteur worked with tartaric acid and racemic acid whose crystals can be found in fermenting wine. Although these were two different acids, the chemical composition of the two was identical, and Pasture was determined to find out how this was possible.

6. Upon intense inspection beneath his microscope, Pasteur examined both acids and noticed that although they were identical, their spatial arrangement was different. One was the mirror image of the other. It was this discovery that led to the science of stereochemistry.

7. Pasteur’s next study allowed him to solve the puzzle of alcoholic fermentation . He concluded and was able to prove that living cells, the yeast, were responsible for forming alcohol from sugar, and that contaminating microorganisms turned the fermentations sour.

8. Upon this breakthrough, Pasteur then set out to find some of the specific microorganisms responsible for normal and abnormal fermentations in such things as wine, beer, and vinegar.

9. Pasteur demonstrated that if these substances were heated to a moderately high temperature for a few minutes, this would kill the living microorganisms and thereby sterilize (pasteurize) the substances and prevent them from spoiling.

10. Pasteur’s discoveries were still not complete!!!

11. During Pasteur’s time, there was great controversy over the theory of “spontaneous generation”. Many people believed that things such as beetles, eels, maggots and microbes arise spontaneously from decomposing matter.

12. Pasteur conducted a series of clever experiments that destroyed every argument supporting "spontaneous generation". It was through these experiments that Pasteur proved that all life comes from preexisting life. Spontaneous Generation

13. The previous achievements of Louis Pasteur were immense, however, they do not compare to the greatest achievements of Pasteur's career which was the development of the germ theory of disease and the use of vaccines to prevent these diseases.

14. While working on the study of fermentation, Pasteur noticed that the contamination of such things as wine and beer was due to airborne yeast. Pasteur thought that maybe this is how certain microorganisms (diseases) could be spread.

15. Pasteur observed several hospitals and noticed that infection was spread by physicians and hospital attendants from sick to healthy patients. Germ Theory of Disease

16. Because of this observation and remarkable finding, the germ theory of disease came about. Now sanitation, hygiene, and cleanliness are much more important in our society! Germ Theory of Disease

17. ANTHRAX Pasteur had a particular interest in the disease anthrax. Anthrax is an infectious disease that affects cattle, sheep, and other livestock that can be transmitted to man.

18. During this time, anthrax was responsible for killing large populations of sheep in France, and this was detrimental to the economy.

19. Pasteur supposed that if it were possible to give an animal a mild attack, this might be sufficient to prevent the animal from getting the disease later on. ANTHRAX

20. Pasteur’s hypothesis was correct. He eventually succeeded in producing a mild, weakened, harmless culture of anthrax bacteria. He then took this culture and vaccinated hundreds of livestock, and they were then immune to the disease.

21. Pasteur is predominantly well-known for his work with rabies also known as hydrophobia. Rabies is a highly contagious, infectious disease that attacks the central nervous system. This disease is commonly looked upon with horror. RABIES

22. Many people have the misconception that those who have rabies act like a wild dog, barking and howling. Rabies enters the body through the bite of an infected animal or infected saliva. RABIES

23. On July 6 ,1885, Pasteur tested his new rabies vaccine on man for the first time. Joseph Meister was a young man who had been bitten by a rabid dog. Urged to treat him with his new method, Pasteur gave Meister the rabies vaccine and saved his life.

24. Rabies was the last achievement for the astonishing scientist. Louis Pasteur could be deemed one of the greatest benefactors of humanity due to his numerous contributions.

25. Pasteur was responsible for some of the most important theoretical concepts and practical applications of modern science that we see and still use today.

28. DHAIRYA NAGPAL