Louis Pasteur Man of Science Viking Films Inc 1959

so this is the world of the microbe world discovered in drop of water under the lens of the first microscope the men who first brought this world into focus wondered what it meant and where its creatures came from but the only result of their speculations was catalogue of strange monsters and to explain their appearance they revived the theory that primitive forms of life were generated spontaneously out of air and decaying matter for nearly two centuries until 1857 science came no closer to an understanding of the microscopic world but in that year chemist louis pasteur proved that microbes were the sole cause of the fermentation process that ferments were living organisms which decompose matter as they fit on it multiplying by budding till they had chemically transformed what they fell on it was revolutionary concept the first major clue to the riddle of the microscopic world bye but where did these beings come from pasteur believed they were transported by the dust in the air when they landed amid conditions favorable to their growth they began to feed and multiply increasing their own kind billion-fold to test this theory pasteur devised simple experiment he pumped air from outside his window through filter of cotton then he dissolved the cotton and alcohol leaving only the dust particles that were trapped in it these he suspended in drop of distilled water and examined under microscope and there amid the scattered particles of dust were indeed the remains of living organisms faster presented his findings before the french academy of sciences spontaneous generation is mere illusion the microbes which appear to come out of nowhere where in reality carried there by the atmospheric dust but pasteur's opponents were unconvinced they regarded the theory as preposterous the experiments as vague and inclusive back in his tiny laboratory pasteur determined to settle for all time the question of where germs originate preparing liquid suitable to the growth of microbes he boiled it thoroughly to destroy all life within it platinum tube which was attached to the neck of the flask was then heated to very high temperature when the air had been driven from the flask by the boiling he turned off the flame to allow it to cool thereupon air began to flow back into the flask but as it passed through the red-hot platinum tube all the microbes carried by the air were instantly burned up thus both the air and the liquid in the flask were entirely free of living matter pasteur immediately sealed it with flame and allowed it to stand at temperature most favorable to the growth of microbes yet no life appeared in the flask it was entirely sterile pasteur then performed the experiment in reverse using the filter of non-inflammable material this time he sterilized it then pumped air through it by the same method as before this filter which was completely sterile except for the dust particles drawn out of the air pasteur paste in the flask that was used in the previous experiment and had shown no sign of life the flask was immediately resealed and allowed to stand at the same temperature as before this time the liquid began to cloud up out of the dust particles imprisoned in the filter mold comprising billions of organisms emerged soon it was swarm with living matter to show that the filter itself could not have produced this growth he repeated the experiment leaving out the dust particles again the liquid was unchanged but pasteur's opponents now found new objection when you heated the air you killed it creative force pasteur's reply was flask with long twisted neck which he filled with the usual liquid and brought to boil but this time instead of sealing the flask yet he let the air flow back and when the dust particles attempted to return with the air they were stopped by the curve of the neck so that the unheated dust-free air could now mix freely with the liquid yet remain clear pasteur then turned the flask upside down allowing the liquid to gather up the dust particles deposited in the neck and overnight it clouded up with living matter but pasteur's opponents were still unconvinced but if there were so many germs in the air they would form fog in the atmosphere as dense as iron to answer this argument pasteur decided to show that the number of germs in the air varied with the locality he filled hundreds of thin straight neck flasks with identical liquids boil them thoroughly then seal them leaving vacuum in each the first location chosen for the experiment was the dusty courtyard of the paris observatory here number of the flasks were snapped open with carefully sterilized instruments and quickly resealed and in every case the flasks were invaded by microbes but in the cellar of the observatory where the air being motionless carry little dust and suspension just too clouded up finally to show that the number of microbes in the air decreases with the altitude he climbed high peak in the alps and repeated the experiment there and of 20 flasks opened only one cowed it up yet the debate went on unresolved and pastor continued to press homer's attacks against the unyielding opposition spontaneous generation is myth in 20 years of research have never found trace of it the air by itself cannot produce life it is the germs in the air the germs transported by the air that reproduce it but while the scientists argued over his discoveries pasteur was using them to revolutionize the production of french wines beer and vinegar and his process of using heat to destroy harmful germs was adopted the world over under the name of pasteurization then ruinous silkworm epidemic summoned pasteur to the south of france he knew almost nothing about silkworms at the time but he set up his headquarters in silkworm nursery and proceeded to prove that the epidemic was combination of two different diseases and that each was caused by separate characteristic microbe pasteur and his colleagues then undertook to fight the epidemic in the field armed with microscopes they toured the silkworm areas pointing out to the incredulous growers the agents of the disease and outlining techniques for stamping out the epidemic when the silkworms changed to molds they were made to lay their eggs on separate pieces of cloth each moth was then crushed into paste and examined under microscope if harmful microbes were detected all the eggs laid by that moth were to be destroyed the unraveling of the silkworm epidemic and the campaign in the field took six exhausting years before it was finished he suffered stroke that left him partially paralyzed for the rest of his life yet he continued to work convinced that in these studies of the microscopic world he was approaching the secret of all infectious disease by 1873 pasteur was the acknowledged leader of the two new sciences of microbiology and biochemistry and now his success in stamping out the silicone epidemic won him place on the academy of medicine as chemist untrained in medicine pasteur had up to now hesitated to invade the province of the medical men now he resolved to make known his views on the causes of infectious disease and to campaign for reforms in controlling them he began therefore to visit the hospitals and investigate their practices he denounced his myths the medical theories of the day which blamed epidemics on mysterious mists putrid heirs and the like he scolded the medical staff for permitting infections to be spread through unsanitary hospital beds and dressings but above all he strove to establish that standard hospital practice as absolute cleanliness flaming of instruments sterilization of dressings and the unfailing use of antiseptics while his opponent sneered that he was beginning to see microbes in everything he brought to light the microbe which causes many of the common illnesses the staphylococcus and when child dead fever epidemic broke out from the hospitals he took the floor at the academy the real cause of this epidemic is lack of sanitation the doctors themselves carry this disease from the sick to the healthy may be right but doubt if any of us will live to see this microbe but pasteur had found it there is your microbe this organism which resembled string of tiny beads was the deadly streptococcus pasteur turned to animal diseases to learn more about how infections are spread and his first choice was sheep anthrax diseased and ravaging flocks throughout europe he found these rod-like microbes in the bloodstream then proceeded to track down step by step the path of the infection when sheep died of anthrax the bacteria survived by forming hard internal seeds called spores and as the bacteria disintegrated the spores were set free though buried underground with the carcass of the dead animal the spores were sometimes brought back to the surface by earthworms there they were picked up by healthy sheep and returning to the blood they spread the disease anew when the veterinarians refused to believe that microbe could cause anthrax insisting that it was disease of the blood itself pasteur offered this remarkable experiment taking one drop of blood from sick sheep he mixed it with broth favorable to the growth of bacteria slowly poisonous growth invaded the flask so 24 hours later he withdrew single drop from this culture and mixed it with fresh one the process was repeated over and over again until the original drop of blood had been diluted to the vanishing point yet its virulence was undiminished proof that it was not the blood that caused death but in microbe reproducing within the blood at the same time pasteur was experimenting with many other animal diseases among them chicken cholera he had isolated the tiny microbe of this disease and found it to be invariably fatal to chickens then an inspired guest led him on to one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time having found by chance an old culture of chicken color bacilli in his incubator it occurred to pasteur to experiment with these weak outdated microbes he inoculated the birds but after becoming mildly ill they recovered completely thereupon he ordered second inoculation this one fresh and full strength but to his amazement these deadly microbes had no effect whatever the chickens had been immunized by the weakened organisms it was the first experimental vaccine following the same principle pasteur tried to develop vaccine for anthrax but here difficulty occurred for these bacteria when aged turned to spores pasteur finally solved this problem by finding temperature at which the spores were unable to form then having fully tested the vaccine he decided to demonstrate it publicly on dramatic scale at farm called puyola 4 he gathered 50 sheep and number of cows half were vaccinated the other half remained unvaccinated then all were to be inoculated with the deadly bacteria of anthrax this sensational experiment attracted skeptical audience from all parts of france most prominent of whom were the opponents of pasteur certain this time that he'd overreached himself they turned out in body but most skeptical of all were the veterinarians who watched every move with suspicion anticipating hoax pasteur however was unruffled confident that the vaccine already proved in the laboratory would work as well in the field will you permit me there you are would you mind giving this one triple dose not at all monsieur would it be possible to inoculate in turn vaccinated and an unvaccinated animal certainly if you wish after the inoculations the animals harvard for days between life and death finally pattern emerged one by one the unvaccinated ones died those who were vaccinated recovered it was stunning victory for the principle of vaccination in triumphant vindication of the germ theory of disease pastor returned to paris national hero though rapidly failing in health pasteur now plunged into study of the dread disease of rabies because the disease is communicated through the saliva he began by hunting for microbe in the mouths of rabid dogs although the search failed pasteur refused to give up surmising that the organism might simply be too small to be detected even under microscope he stopped his laboratory with rabid dogs and by studying the effect of this disease on living tissue tracked the invisible virus to the nervous system then removing diseased spinal cord he placed it in dry jar to age till its virulence was reduced to that of vaccine in the outskirts of paris pasteur managed to obtain the use of vacant estate for another mass experiment here in improvised kennels techniques for immunization were perfected under pasteur's humane care hundreds of dogs were vaccinated and rendered safely immune to rabies but could the vaccine prevent hydrophobia in human being the decision to experiment was forced upon him one day by mother and child in distress for the boy had been severely attacked some days before by mad dog the thought of injecting rabid virus into the boy was terrifying to pastor still judging from the severity of the bites that hydrophobia and death were almost inevitable he agreed to vaccinate with most of the medical world standing by pasteur made series of injections of the untried vaccine the dose was stepped up continuously till on the 14th day he could pronounce the boy cured hydrophobia one of the most dreaded of all human diseases had been conquered pasteur died in 1895 exhausted by lifelong struggle against the microorganisms of disease and the prejudice of his time but he had lived to see his name and work perpetuated by great institute of research the entire course of medicine recharted by his discoveries in the world of the infinitely small the life-saving vaccines and antibiotics that succeeding generations of scientists are giving the world were pioneered by these studies of ferments silkworms anthrax chicken cholera and rabies but pasteur left to science legacy surpassing even these it was system logic and scientific method which are the basis of medical research and which promise to secure for us the miracles of the future you