Louis

Louis Pasteur (27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French biologist, microbiologist, and chemist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and prevention of diseases, and his discoveries have saved many lives ever since. He reduced mortality from puerperal fever and created the first vaccines for rabies and anthrax. His medical discoveries provided direct support for the germ theory of disease and its application in clinical medicine. He is best known to the general public for his invention of the technique of treating milk and wine to stop bacterial contamination, a process now called pasteurization. He is regarded as one of the three main founders of bacteriology, together with Ferdinand Cohn and Robert Koch, and is popularly known as the "father of microbiology".

Early life and education

Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822, in Dole, Jura, France, to a Catholic family of poor tanners. He was the third child of Jean-Joseph Pasteur and Jeanne-Etiennette Roqui. The family moved to Marnoz in 1826 and then to Arbois in 1827. Pasteur entered primary school in 1831.

Career and research

Pasteur's research showed that the growth of micro-organisms was responsible for spoiling beverages, such as beer, wine and milk. With this established, he invented a process in which liquids such as milk were heated to a temperature between 60 and 85 degrees Celsius. This killed most bacteria and molds already present within them. Pasteur and Claude Bernard completed the first test on April 20, 1862. Pasteur patented the process, to fight the "diseases" of wine, in 1865. The method became known as pasteurization, and was soon applied to beer and milk.

Legacy

Pasteur's body lies beneath the Institute Pasteur in Paris in a spectacular vault covered in depictions of his accomplishments in Byzantine mosaics.

See also

• Fermentation (biochemistry)
• Germ theory of disease
• History of science
• History of medicine
• History of wine
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Pasteurization
• Vaccination

External links

• Official website of the Pasteur Institute
• Official website of the Louis Pasteur Museum

Louis Resources
Latest articles Most recent articles Ongoing trials	Wikipedia