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Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822, to Jean-Joseph Pasteur and Jeanne-Etiennette Roqui.
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Pasteur receives his bachelor of science degree at the University of Dijon.
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In 1845, Pasteur earns the equivolent of a M.S. from Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, and attracts the attention of French chemist Antoine-Jerome Balard, newly appointed professor at Ecole Normale.
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Despite average grades in physical sciences, Pasteur is chosen by Balard as his preparateur, or graduate assistant.
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Pasteur defended his two thesis: one in physics, and the other in chemistry. His thesis papers earned him a position as a professor of physics at the secondary school, Dijon Lycée.
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MÉMOIRE SUR LA RELATION QUI PEUR EXISTER ENTRE LA FORME CRISTALLINES ET LA COMPOSITION CHIMIQUE, ET SUR LA CAUSE DE LA POLARISATION ROTATOIREPasteur's first major discovery: molecular symmetry, was presented to the Academy of Sciences by his mentor, Balard, and was titled "On the relation that can exist between crystalline form and chemical composition, and on the cause of rotational polarization."
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In this report, which is presented to the Academie des sciences by M. Balard, Pasteur discusses his recent findings in chrystalography. The report is titled "on the relation that can exist between crystalline form and chemical composition, and on the cause of rotational polarization."
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When Balard announced Pasteur's first experiment concerning crystallography, he caught the interest of Jean Baptiste Biot, a noted scientist & member of the Academy who had worked in crystalography for years. Pasteur, hearing that Biot was interested in his experiment, he wrote to Biot, wanting to meet & discuss his experiment. Biot went on to be Pasteur's mentor & fast friend
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After receiving his doctorate, Pasteur is appointed the professor of physics as Lycee of Dijon, the equivolent to a secondary school.
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Shortly after accepting a position at Dijon Lycée, Pasteur leaves to accept a position as the chair of chemistry in the Faculty of Science of Strasbourg University
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Pasteur presents a second report to the Acadmie on molecular dissymetry
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Composed a note to the Academie des sciences on the work he conducted in 1849 on the composition of racemic acid.
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Pasteur accepts the roles of professor of chemistry and dean of the Faculty of Science at Lille
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Pasteur composed a brief letter to the academie des sciences concerning the origin of racemic acid. (Racemic acid, at the time, was a term for optically inactive tartaric acid- a naturally occuring acid present in many plants, and is one of the main acids found in wine.)
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Pasteur is able to successfully transform tartaric acid into racemic acid, and relays his accomplishment to Biot.
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Five days after Pasteur told him of his discovery, Biot informs the Academie des sciences that Pasteur has successfully transformed tartaric acid to racemic acide.
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Pasteur is made a chevalier (knight) in the imperial order of the Legion d'honneur (the order is the highest decoration in France, established by Napoleon in 1902).
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Pasteur receives a price of 1500 francs from the Pharmaceutical Society for the synthesis of racemic acid. The original competition was announced in 1851, and it took two years for Pasteur to provide a precise account & scientific proof.
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Pasteur sends a report to the Academie des sciences on dimorphism in optically active substances. (something that is optically active means that the molecule/substance cannot be superimposed on its mirror image)
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In September of 1954, Pasteur accepts the position of professor of chemistry and dean of the new Faculty of Science at Lille.
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Pasteur tells teh Academie des sciences of his paper concerning amyl alcohol.
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In November of 1856, Pasteur was introducted to E. Bigo, a beer & wine manufacturer, who'd run into problems with his stock of beet alcohol spoiling before it could be sold.
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A vacancy occurs in the mineralogy and geology section of the Academie, for which Pasteur becomes nominated as a candidate.
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Pasteur receives the Rumford Medal of the London Royal Society for his work in crystallography.
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Gabriel Delafosse, a crystallographer & mineralographer, won the seat in the Academie des sciences over Pasteur.
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On August 3, the Society for the Advancement of Science at lille published a paper on lactic fermentation.
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Pasteur was given the position of Administrator and Director of Scientific Studies at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, in Paris.
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Studies in FermentaitonIn August of 1857, Pasteur presented "Lactate Fermentation" to the Société des Sciences de Lille (Science Society of Lille). This presentation would be published soon after as a Memoire (Mémoire sur la fermentation appelée lactique), and became the foundation for Pasteur's germ theory & battle in disproving spontaneous generation.
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Pasteur published & presented a second paper on alcoholic fermentation to teh Academie de Sciences
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Pasteur publishes a paper focusing on the fermentation of tartaric acid
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In August, while on vacation at Arbois, Pasteur found that the germs he observed in bottles of diseased wines were very similar to those found in lactic fermentation.
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Félix-Archimede Pouchet publishes a paper on spontaneous generation entitled, "Note on the plant and animal proto-organisms born spontaneously in artificial air or oxygen gas." This paper became the starting point for Pasteur's work on spontaneous generation.
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After Pasteur's "Mémoire pour servir a l'histoire de l'acide lactique" stated that leavening had its origin in the air of the atmosphere, Pouchet took offence and insisted his fellow scientist explain himself. Pasteur wrote his response in a letter dated 28, February, 1859, in which he completely renounced the theory of spontaneous generation, which began a feud between the two scientists.
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In 1860, Pasteur's 43 page paper on alcoholic fermentation,
Mémoire sur la fermentation alcoolique was published. This paper proved yeast molecules' involvement in the fermentation process, a discovery that will help Pasteur in his research against spontaneous generation.
(You may view a digitized version of the original French text above.) -
In the middle of his fermentation & spontaneous generation experiments, Pasteur presented a detailed report on his research in molecular dissymetry to the Chemical Society of Paris.
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Pasteur presented on the topic of molecular dissymetry a second time a few weeks after his first report to the Chemical Society of Paris.
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In August of 1860, Pasteur collected air samples at Arbois to further his spontaneous generation research.
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On the 20th of September, additional air samples were collected at Chamonix
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In 1861, Pasteur officially discovered anaerobic life while observing butyric acid fermentation. This discovery introduced the terms anaerobic & aerobic. "Anaerobic" means 'without oxygen' while "aerobic" means 'with oxygen.'
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Pasteur lectured on the doctrine of spontaneous generation at the Chemical Society of Paris
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Pasteur's lecture was titled, "Memoir on the Organized Corpuscles which Exist in the Atmosphere: An Examination of the Doctrine of Spontaneous Generation" which included all of his research and observations from studying fermentation in Lille, & other experaments.
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Pasteur Institute Timeline Pasteur saw the publication of his findings on vinegar in the Paris Chemistry Society bulletin.
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Pasteur receives the Jecker Prize of the Academie des sciences for his work on spontaneous generation. The report was submitted by M. Chevreuil.
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In a paper presented to the Academie des sciences, Pasteur explained the role of mycodermas in acetic fermentation. Mycoderma, also called "flower of wine," is a yeast like organism that forms on the surface of wine once it's exposed to air.
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On the 2nd of April, Biot, Pasteur's long time mentor and friend, died in Paris.
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While attempting to find a solution that prevented beer & wine from going sour, Pasteur, along with Claude Bernard, inadvertantly create what is now known as the pasteurization method. By heating food/drink to a certain temperature (50-60degrees Celcius/ 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit) for a specific time period, then cooling it, they discovered it rid the substance of bacteria.
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Pasteur presented a paper on an industrial process for vinegar production to the Academie des sciences.
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Because of Pasteur's report submitted to the Academy by C. Bernard, Pasteur received the Prix Alhumbert for his research on spontaneous generation.
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Pasteur is elected to be a Memero of the Academie des sciences' mineralogy section.
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Emperor Napoleon III reuqests that Pasteur research wine & its diseases.
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This paper presented to the Academie discussed the destruction of plant and animal matter after death.
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Pasteur is appointed professor of geology, physics, and chemistry at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and will keep this position until 1867.
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Vinification is the process of fermenting and making wine.
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On April 7, after years of experiments and research, Pasteur presented his findings on spontaneous generation in front of the <i>Sorbone Scientific Soiree</i>, giving solid evidence that helped disprove the long-accepted theory. The debate with M. Pouchet continues.
"On Sponaneous Generation" -
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The exact date of this event is unknown.
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Pasteur presents a paper on practical processes for the preserving and improving of wine to the Academie des sciences.
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Pasteur was asked to observe diseases effecting silkworms, which had started to hurt the silk industry of France.
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In October & November of 1865, a cholera epidemic hits Paris. Pasteur is appointed to a commission in order to investigate the disease.
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Pasteur received an invitation to the Palace of Compiegne for November 29- December 6, where he was able to personally meet and converse with Napoleon III.
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Pasteur's "Etudes sur le vin" is published, igniting a controversy on the priority of wine heating techniques.
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Pasteur publishes an article on the achievements of Claude Bernard in the paper Moniteur.
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In May, Pasteur studies the silkworm disease 'flacherie,' which comes from the silkworms ingesting infected mulberry leaves.
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Pasteur receives one of the Grand Prizes for his work on vinous (wine) fermentation.
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Following months of unrest at the school, the Ecole normale closes and its directors, including Pasteur, resign.
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Pasteur requests the creation of a laboratory for physiological chemistry at the Ecole normale.
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While his physiological chemistry laboratory is being built, he succeeds Balard to the chair of organic chemistry at teh Sorbonne (University of Paris).
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Pasteur gives a lecture on vinegar making to regional manufacturers at Orleans.
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Pasteur resigns from his professorial position at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.
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In 1868, (exact date unknown), Pasteur receives a degree of Doctor of Medicine 'honoris causa' from Bonn University in Germany.
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Pasteur suffered from a severe brain stroke which left him partially paralyzed on his left side.
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In February of 1869, Pasteur is able to resume his research on silkworm diseases at the laboratories in both Ales & Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort.
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In December of 1869, Paseur started to oversee an experimental silkworm farm at the imperial estate at the request of napoleon III.
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Pasteur's 'Studies on the disease of silkworms' is published in March
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Pasteur was appointed senator of the Empire, but when the Franco-Prussian War broke out, the decree is never put into effect.
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After learning of the Prussian bombing of the Paris Museum, Pasteur returns his diploma of his honorary Doctorate of Medicine from Bonn University.
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Between May & August, Pasteur stayed at Clermont-Ferrand. During his stay, he visited the Kuhn brewery at Chamalieres, beginning his research on beer.
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Pasteur takes out a patent for a special beer-making process.
(the full patent document can be viewed on the US Patent Office's site here) -
In Mid-September, Pasteur travels to London to further study beer production at the English breweries. Here, he meets the prominent physisist John Tyndall.
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Pasteur applies for early retirement as professor at the Sorbonne.
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Pasteur is made a commander in the Brazilian Order of the Rose
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After spending time at the Tourtel Brewery at Tontonville, Pasteur goes public with a process of making beer that prevents its alteration.
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The National Assembly committee, headed by Paul Bert, grants Pasteur a National Reward.
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The Royal Society of London awards the Copley medal to Pasteur for his work on fermentation
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Between June 7 October of 1875, Pasteur had a laboratory installed in Arbois for the purposeof further studying fermentation.
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Bastian & Pasteur on Spontaneous Generation, by H. SlackOn July 10, 1875, Dr. Bastian published a paper in the Comptes Rendus (a scientific journal published by the French Academy of Sciences), titled "On the Influence of Psyico-Chemical Forces in the Phenominon of Fermentation," that tried to demonstrate the truth of spontaneous generation This paper began a flurry of published letters and papers between the two scientists concerning the existe
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Pasteur represents France at the 1876 International Silk Growers' Convention in mid-September in Milan.
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In September of 1878, Pasteur,along with verternarian Vinsot, conducted experiments with anthrax at a farm near Chartres.
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In October, Pasteur was promoted from chevalier (knight) to a grand officer.
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Puerperal septicemia is a post-pregnancy infection of the uterus and surrounding tissues. It was a leading cause of infant & mother death at the time.
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In September of 1879, Pasteur discovered a vacceine from attenuated cultures.
An attenuated vaccine is one created from weakened or watered down virus. -
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The principle of virus vaccines is expressed for the first time.
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In this paper, germ theory is extended to include the etiology, or causation, of boils, osteomyelitis (an infetion of the bone), and puerperal fever.
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After refusing to give specificts on how he was able to successfully prepare a vaccination against chicken cholera to the Academie, scientist and Academie member Jules Guerin challenged Pasteur's truthfullness. On the afternoon of October 4, after a debate turned into a flurry of insults, the 80 year old Guerin, who still remained to be convinced on Pasteur's germ theory in general, threw himself bodily at Pasteur and had to be restrained. The next day, the 5th, he challenged Pasteur to a duel.
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In December of 1880, Pasteur moves his research focus from chicken cholera to rabies.
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Pasteur wrote about the phenonenon of attenuation, or gradual loss of intensity, of viruses followed by renewed virulence.
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In May, at the farm of Pouilly-le-Fort near Melun, Pasteur started experimenting with the anthrax vaccination.
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Reports of the anthrax vaccine experiments are sent to the Academie des sciences & the academie de medicine.
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In July of 1881, Pasteur becomes a recipient of the highest award in the Legion d'honneur, the Grand-Croix, or Grand Cross.
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Paper on the virus vaccines for chicken cholera and anthrax is presented to the International Congress of Medicine in London.
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In late September, Pasteur travels to Bordeaux to study yellow fever.
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In May, Pasteur's anthrax vaccine was administered to almost half a million sheep, marking the beginning of the commercialization of the vaccine.
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Pleuropneumonia occurs when pneumonia is complicated with a case of pleurisy, or an inflammation of the tissues that line the lung & chest cavity. The infection is particularly contageous, causing a significant drop in cattle vitality in the 1800s
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In May of 1883, the committee of the Veterinary School of Turin was very vocal about their scepticism of Pasteur's anthrax vaccination.
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Vaccination against swine erysipelas (a recurring bacterial infection that effects the skin, with severe fever & swelling) with an weakened virus.
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Histoire d'un savant par un ignorant, written by Rene Vallery-Radot, was published
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Pasteur conducted experiments with dogs resistant to rabies for the rabies commission
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In order to better study rabies, a lab is set up in the Parc du Saint-Cloud, that is exclusively for the study of the infection.
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Paper presented to the International Congress of Medicine in Copenhagen on the vaccination & preventive methods against rabies in humans.
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Pasteur wrote a letter to Brazil's Pedro II concerning the experimental use of the rabies vaccine on humans.
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Between May & June of 1885, the first human trials of the rabies vaccine began.
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While still in the middle of human trials for the rabies virus, Pasteur was approached by a mother who's 9 year old son, Joseph, had been bitten upwards of 14 times by their neighbor's rabid dog. This was the first time Pasteur applied the vacceine to a human, and 12 days later, the vaccination was deemed successful, making Joseph Meister the first successful human vaccinated for rabies.
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Pasteur receives a letter from the mayor of a small town in central France by the name of Villers-Farlay, requesting his rabies vaccination for a teenaged shepherdboy who'd been bitten by a rabid dog while trying to distract it from his younger counterparts. Pasteur was not able to reach the boy until about a week after he'd been bitten, so there were doubts about if the vacceine would be effective. Fortunately, this was another successful case.
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Between November 9 & the end of 1885, Pasteur vaccinated 5 other children: Louise Pelletier on the 9th of November, and four children sent from America in December.
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A fundraising gala organized by the "Scientia" Society is held at the Trocadero palace.
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The child's father sues Pasteur, but the case is dismissed in January 1887, saying the boy had died from an unrelated injury obtained weeks after the innoculation
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The death of Rouyer sparked a series of controversies that spanned the globe. Many scientists wanted to prove that Pasteur's method wasn't ready, or was completely false. However, Pasteur solidly argued & proved his case time & time again, keeping his vaccination method widely accepted.
(More information on these controversies can be found in this book) -
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In 1887, the government of New South Wales published an advertisement in nearly every large daily publication in the world, looking desperately for a solution to the rabbit infestation that had taken over the country
Pasteur suggested careful introduction of a variant of chicken cholera be introduced to the animal. -
Pasteur had the opportunity to test his idea of using the chicken cholera virus on rabbits when he was contacted by a wealthy widdow, Madame Pommery, who's grounds were being overrun by the rodents. The government of Sydney heard about the successful test, and asks Pasteur to send them strains of the microbe along with instructions on how to use them.
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Pasteur, unwilling to send the microbes unattended, sent his assistant, Adrian Loir, to oversee the rabbit erradication project.
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In January of 1891, Albert Calmette, bacteriologist & immuneologist, becomes the director of the Institut Pasteur in Saigon.
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In 1893, Adrien Loir, Pasteur's nephew, oversaw the operation of a branch in Tunis, Tunisia.
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Louis Pasteur passed on the evening of September 28, 1895, after paralysis caused by a cerebral hemorrhage worsened.
