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publications reprinted in Camac's book cited above。Ed。
In 1857； a young man； Louis Pasteur； sent to the Lille Scientific
Society a paper on 〃Lactic Acid Fermentation〃 and in December of the
same year presented to the Academy of Sciences in Paris a paper on
〃Alcoholic Fermentation〃 in which he concluded that 〃the deduplication
of sugar into alcohol and carbonic acid is correlative to a phenomenon of
life。〃 A new era in medicine dates from those two publications。 The story
of Pasteur's life should be read by every student。＇*＇ It is one of the glories
of human literature； and； as a record of achievement and of nobility of
character； is almost without an equal。
＇*＇ Osler wrote a preface for the 1911 English edition of the Life by
Vallery…Radot。Ed。
At the middle of the last century we did not know much more of the
actual causes of the great scourges of the race； the plagues； the fevers and
the pestilences； than did the Greeks。 Here comes Pasteur's great work。
Before him Egyptian darkness； with his advent a light that brightens more
and more as the years give us ever fuller knowledge。 The facts that fevers
were catching； that epidemics spread； that infection could remain attached
to articles of clothing； etc。； all gave support to the view that the actual
cause was something alive； a contagium vivum。 It was really a very old
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view； the germs of which may be found in the Fathers； but which was first
clearly expressedso far as I knowby Fracastorius； the Veronese
physician； in the sixteenth century； who spoke of the seeds of contagion
passing from one person to another；＇12＇ and he first drew a parallel
between the processes of contagion and the fermentation of wine。 This
was more than one hundred years before Kircher； Leeuwenhoek and others
began to use the microscope and to see animalcula；； etc。； in water； and so
give a basis for the 〃infinitely little〃 view of the nature of disease germs。
And it was a study of the processes of fermentation that led Pasteur to the
sure ground on which we now stand。
＇12＇ Varro； in De Re Rustica； Bk。 I； 12 （circa 40 B。C。）； speaks of
minute organisms which the eye cannot see and which enter the body and
cause disease。
Out of these researches arose a famous battle which kept Pasteur hard
at work for four or five yearsthe struggle over spontaneous generation。 It
was an old warfare； but the microscope had revealed a new world； and the
experiments on fermentation had lent great weight to the omne vivum ex
ovo doctrine。 The famous Italians； Redi and Spallanzani； had led the way
in their experiments； and the latter had reached the conclusion that there is
no vegetable and no animal that has not its own germ。 But heterogenesis
became the burning question； and Pouchet in France； and Bastian in
England； led the opposition to Pasteur。 The many famous experiments
carried conviction to the minds of scientific men； and destroyed forever
the old belief in spontaneous generation。 All along； the analogy between
disease and fermentation must have been in Pasteur's mind； and then came
the suggestion； 〃What would be most desirable is to push those studies far
enough to prepare the road for a serious research into the origin of various
diseases。〃 If the changes in lactic； alcoholic and butyric fermentations are
due to minute living organisms； why should not the same tiny creatures
make the changes which occur in the body in the putrid and suppurative
diseases？ With an accurate training as a chemist； having been diverted in
his studies upon fermentation into the realm of biology； and nourishing a
strong conviction of the identity between putrefactive changes of the body
and fermentation； Pasteur was well prepared to undertake investigations
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which had hitherto been confined to physicians alone。
So impressed was he with the analogy between fermentation and the
infectious diseases that； in 1863； he assured the French Emperor of his
ambition 〃to arrive at the knowledge of the causes of putrid and
contagious diseases。〃 After a study upon the diseases of wines； which has
had most important practical bearings； an opportunity arose which
changed the whole course of his career； and profoundly influenced the
development of medical science。 A disease of the silkworm had； for some
years； ruined one of the most important industries in France； and in 1865
the Government asked Pasteur to give up his laboratory work and teaching；
and to devote his whole energies to the task of investigating it。 The story
of the brilliant success which followed years of application to the problem
will be read with deep interest by every student of science。 It was the first
of his victories in the application of the experimental methods of a trained
chemist to the problems of biology； and it placed his name high in the
group of the most illustrious benefactors of practical industries。
In a series of studies on the diseases of beer； and on the mode of
production of vinegar； he became more and more convinced that these
studies on fermentation had given him the key to the nature of the
infectious diseases。 It is a remarkable fact that the distinguished English
philosopher of the seventeenth century； the man who more than anyone
else of his century appreciated the importance of the experimental method；
Robert Boyle； had said that he who could discover the nature of ferments
and fermentation； would be more capable than anyone else of explaining
the nature of certain diseases。
In 1876 there appeared in Cohn's 〃Beitrage zur Morphologie der
Pflanzen〃 （II； 277…310）； a paper on the 〃AEtiology of Anthrax〃 by a
German district physician in Wollstein； Robert Koch； which is memorable
in our literature as the starting point of a new method of research into the
causation of infectious diseases。 Koch demonstrated the constant presence
of germs in the blood of animals dying from the disease。 Years before；
those organisms had been seen by Pollender and Davaine； but the epoch…
making advance of Koch was to grow those organisms in a pure culture
outside the body； and to produce the disease artificially by inoculating
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animals with the cultures Koch is really our medical Galileo； who； by
means of a new technique；pure cultures and isolated staining；
introduced us to a new world。 In 1878； followed his study on the
〃AEtiology of Wound Infections；〃 in which he was able to demonstrate
conclusively the association of micro…organisms with the disease。 Upon
those two memorable researches made by a country doctor rests the
modern science of bacteriology。
The next great advance was the discovery by Pasteur of the possibility
of so attenuating； or weakening； the poison that an animal inoculated had a
slight attack； recovered and was then protected against the disease。 More
than eighty years had passed since on May 14； 1796； Jenner had
vaccinated a child with cowpox and proved that a slight attack of one
disease protected the body from a disease of an allied nature。 An occasion
equally famous in the history of medicine was a day in 1881； when Pasteur
determined that a flock of sheep vaccinated with the attenuated virus of
anthrax remained well； when every one of the unvaccinated infected from
the same material had died。 Meanwhile； from Pasteur's researches on
fermentation and spontaneous generation； a transformation had been
initiated in the practice of surgery； which； it is not too much to say； has
proved one of the greatest boons ever conferred upon humanity。 It had