Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822 in Dole-Arbois, France and died on September 28, 1895. He was a magnificent chemist who did many researches in microbiology.

Biography and Career :

He attended the college in Arbois and afterwards the Royal college in Besancon. In 1840 he got his degree in Literature and after two years in Mathematics. In 1843 he entered the Superior Normal School in Paris and in 1947 he obtained his doctorate in physics and chemistry. Starting with 1848 he was a professor of physics at Dijon Lycee, but after a while he became a professor of chemistry at Strasbourg University. On May 29, 1849 he married Marie Laurent, daughter of the Strasbourg University's rector. The couple had five children, but unfortunately only two of them survived. His doctora l thesis included a study on crystallography and after he finished it he obtained the job as a professor of chemistry at the Faculty of Strasbourg. In 1854 he became Dean of the new College of Science in Lille.

Some of the problems he solved were about the nature of tartaric acid or about the minuscule crystals of Sodium ammonium tartrate, which came in two asymmetric forms that were mirror images of one another.
Another brilliant research of him is about the fermentation process, that he said to be caused by the growth of microorganisms and that the growth of microorganisms in nutrient broths is not due to spontaneous generation. He also proved that microorganisms contaminated fermenting beverages. Pasteurization is a process invented by him.

Regarding his researches on the infectious diseases he invented the vaccines and the first one was for rabies, used for a boy who was bitten by a dog.

He won many prizes and award. One of them is the Leeuwenhoek medal, microbiology's highest honor (1895); he was also part of Grande Croix of the Legion of Honor.

After all his studies he is considered the father of germ theory and bacteriology. His entire life was dedicated to science and his contribution was an important step for humanity.

Unfortunately, he died in 1895 after a series of strokes that had started in 1868. In his honour the Institute Pasteur and Universite Louis Pasteur received his name.

Trivia :

- The house where he lived and studied is now a museum.
_{Louis Pasteur Image : britannica.com}

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Category: Scientists  - ( Scientists Archive)

Date Added: 16 September '09

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