By Natalie Olson
Curriculum Fit:
Biology 20, Unit 4, concept 3 (Human Immune System) or to stimulate
discussions on scientific research and STS connections.
Significant economic loss in
France spurred the work of Louis Pasteur in many directions. Investigation into why alcohol became
contaminated during fermentation preceded his work to disprove the theory of
spontaneous generation and invention of pasteurization. The silk industry, plagued by ‘sick’
silkworms and facing a devastating demise, enlisted the help of Pasteur. He
discovered that selection of only healthy silkworms to breed and produce silk would
prevent its collapse. Cholera and Anthrax,
deadly diseases killing livestock throughout the country, became a vehicle for
Pasteur to begin understanding the process of vaccination using weakened forms
of virulent organisms.
Though Louis Pasteur would
have been well revered amongst layman and scientist for these major
contributions, he went on to do the work for which he is best known in the last
years of his life. With his recent
triumph with Anthrax and Cholera close on his heals, Pasteur was compelled to
investigate Rabies. At the time, there
was not a significant need as relatively few people were dying from the
disease. Those who were infected
suffered from madness and rage. Pasteur
was intrigued with how Rabies captivated the imagination of the public and wondered
about its etiology. Even though he had
been slowed physically by a stroke, Louis Pasteur was still sharp and saw an
opportunity for challenge and public acclaim, both of which he enjoyed.
The battle with Rabies began
as a struggle to understand something he could not see. Since rabies was spread through the bite of
a rabid dog, Pasteur expected to see the culprit in infected saliva under his
microscope. Trial after trial, he found
nothing. After decades of experimenting, Louis Pasteur had learned to alter his
experimental methods as needed. This
intellectual agility proved to be useful as he interrogated the rabies disease.
Rabies could not be seen under the
microscope or isolated using conventional methods- he had to examine the
situation in a different way. Pasteur
recognized that symptoms in rabid dogs followed a pattern: madness, biting, and
foaming, then paralysis. It was
apparent he had to look beyond blood and saliva and discovered that the virus
was harbored in the nervous system. It
took time for infection to travel from the wound to the spinal cord and brain
before symptoms would appear. Louis
Pasteur began looking for clues and found that injecting infected samples
directly into healthy animals would induce symptoms sooner.
Pasteur found out by
accident that infected samples left out for a time were incapable of causing
disease when injected into a healthy host.
Through numerous trials, he found that the longer an infected sample was
left out, the less infectious it became. Pasteur began subjecting healthy animals
to the harmless form of the organism and subsequently more virulent forms over
twelve days. He found that the animals
became completely resistant to the disease and did not develop any symptoms
when injected with the most virulent strains.
Louis Pasteur had found a way to protect animals against rabies, but
could it work for humans too?
Louis Pasteur was pleased with
his success but insisted that more work needed to be done before the
vaccination would be safe for humans. No
sooner had he decided this, than a mother with her son who had been badly bitten
by a rabid dog, arrived at his door. With
apprehension and concern the boy, Joseph Meister, was treated. He recovered perfectly, becoming the first
human to be vaccinated for rabies.
Shortly after, another boy came to Pasteur after being bitten and too,
was cured- Louis Pasteur became a legend.
People started coming from all over the world to receive treatment from
Pasteur. Within a year and a half of treating Joseph Meister, Pasteur had
treated almost 2500 people, necessitating a larger treatment facility. Public and private donations funded the
first Pasteur Institute which has become a nucleus for immunology and study of
infectious diseases.
Driven by economics,
curiosity and determination, the work of Louis Pasteur has become a foundation
for microbiology. Louis Pasteur boldly explored
a world he felt passionate about in the face of natural odds and human
opposition. His significant contributions
have permanently altered modern medicine, industry as well as humanity.
Questions
What personal characteristics helped Louis Pasteur achieve his goals and
ultimately make the discoveries he did?
What are some possible impacts had Louis Pasteur given up his quest when
he met difficulty?
Were the discoveries made by Pasteur linked together or independent of
one another? Where did they
interconnect?
What would you expect the argument to be of those not supporting
Pasteur’s work? Why? What theories/ beliefs were held during his time?
References
Burton, M.J. (1963).
Immortals of Science- Louis Pasteur, Founder of Microbiology. Franklin Watts, USA.
Dubois, R (1960). Pasteur and Modern Science. Anchor Books, New York.
Sullivan, N. (1966). Pioneer
Germ Fighters. Atheneum, New York
www.louisville.edu/library/ekstrom/special/pasteur/cohn.html
Retrieved 15 Jan 2002
http://ambafrance-ca.org/hyperlab/people/_pasteur.html
Retrieved 15 Jan 2002